LDS Tools....New App

A new app for iPhone and iPad was announced yesterday from the folks in SL and it appears to be from the same group who gave us the LDS Scriptures... It is called LDS Tools and is similar to My LDS Stake and iStake. I have downloaded it for both iPad and iPhone and so far it seems to have a much faster response and of course it is FREE! Does anyone know who to send some feedback to? There are a couple of small problems...

I am one of the community developers for this Project. It has been super fun to see it come together. The feedback email address can be found on the about screen, on the setup tab.

is this an official church app? Wonder when they'll port the functionality onto the /leader section of the website?

I loaded it on my Ipad and it downloaded my stake information, but when I go to load the app on startup it won't start. Does living in Mexico cause an issue? or is it a software issue?

is this an official church app? Wonder when they'll port the functionality onto the /leader section of the website?

It is an official app from the church.

You can get it here.

We are working on all sorts of functionality on the App. We will incorporate quite a bit of the existing Ward Tools functionality over time, which will allow those with specific callings to have access to more data than other members not in those leadership calling. That piece is most likely not going to be available till next spring, but still super exciting. Now comes the big process for our Ward Clerks to get the data up to date, calendar items posted onto the new calendar, and Photos uploaded of members that are fine with them being on the new website!

I hope that you expand to other platforms before adding every requested feature so those of us not on Apple can use it.

and it's only U.S. and Canada?!??!

I'm wondering if it is using partly a LUWS backend due to the reports of it not working in Mexico and the UK. If so, how soon will it be before some of the functionality can be used outside the US/Canada?

I installed the App last night. Downloaded our Stake data, with no problems and updated again this afternoon. This update included 2 new baptism/confirmations performed last weekend.

I'm looking forward to the enhancements promised

As you can see I'm in the UK!

Love the App! I made some changes to the new calendar and they appeared in the App only a couple of hours later!

Looks like Biggles found it works OK for him, and he's in England, so I wonder if something was just down when the other person tried it in Mexico. Or does it simply not port things in for non-English speaking units?

zaneclark wrote:Does anyone know who to send some feedback to? There are a couple of small problems...

Yeah, I'm having a problem signing in with my LDS Account. I've successfully logged in at https://apps.lds.org/sign-in/go/login.jsf with my account info, but for some reason, the LDS Tools app won't accept it.

It appears several LDS.org sites have been down today including new.lds.org where the tools are stored. I would try again later if you can't get in right now. I'd test it myself, but I'm a lowly assistant clerk and don't have rights yet. <<grin>>

Didn't realize how far along this was. Neat to hear it's out for the iPhone, but hoping the Android version isn't too far behind.

Well, the Android version is coming along (https://tech.lds.org/wiki/index.php/LDS ... or_Android).

We could really use more developers in that project. So, if you know how to do Android programming please consider joining our community project. You're more than welcome to post me a message if you want to join!

JamesAnderson wrote:I'm wondering if it is using partly a LUWS backend due to the reports of it not working in Mexico and the UK. If so, how soon will it be before some of the functionality can be used outside the US/Canada?

It is not using LUWS. We are using the new Directory / Calendar API provided by the church. The same one that new.lds.org/directory is using, so the data is in perfect sync.

We are working on support for different languages as well as support from the Directory team on getting access to data from outside the US & Canada. For those in the UK, the current model seems to work, but will need some tweeks in order to get it working bug free. There are lots of things in the pipeline we are working on, and you are free to vote on what you want done first here:

https://tech.lds.org/jira/browse/MMIP

Just tap "Open" in the top right to see all the Open tickets of future bugs and improvements.

Thanks to the developers of this app, its great to see all this technology coming to good use and helping the ward and stake leaders to be more organised within their callings.

One issue I'm having with LDS Tools...I downloaded the LDS Tools App, The "Directory" tab works perfectly fine, however nothing appears when I open the "Callings" and "Events" Tab. It shows my ward at the top but the screen is blank.

Is anyone else having this issue???

Yeah, it seems quite a few people are having that problem currently. Turns out there is an issue with the Directory API at Church HQ. Hopefully they get on that quick.

Need your input

Events were not compared

=====================================================================
Vendor: LDS Application: LDS Tools

Data is from the Directory at the new.lds.org, which appears to be provided by Member and Leader Services (MLS)

Members:Spouse - not indicated
Household - all are shown and linked

Callings are feed from MLS

Telephone Numbers:Household Phone - does not show, if person has an Individual number
Individual Phone - show

E-Mail Address:
Household E-mail - does not show
Individual E-mail - shown

Address:
Street1 - shown
Street2 - shown (one address it caused issues with city ...)
City - shown
Postal - shown
State - shown

=====================================================================
Vendor: Avikey Software Application: iStake

Data is from Local Unit Web Site (LUWS), with member's information feed to LUWS fromMember and Leader Services (MLS)

Members:
Spouse - shown and linked
Household - shown and not linked

Callings are read from Local Unit Web Site (LUWS), which are manually updated

Telephone Numbers:
Household Phone - shown
Individual Phone - does not show

E-Mail Address:
Household E-mail - does not show
Individual E-mail - shown

Address:
Street1 - shown
Street2 - shown
City - shown
Postal - shown
State - shown

Notes:
1) MLS (Member and Leader Services)
2) LUWS (Local Unit Web Sites)

I just downloaded LDS Tools for the iPhone and shared the news (of the apps, not that I downloaded it) with the Bishops and Stake Presidency, as well as a few other members that I knew would be interested in it.

One of them has a palm pre, but he couldn't find any installation files to install (although we found the source code). I don't know anything about building an installation package for the Pre though.

Are there any nightly build packages or relatively stable builds that could be made available and linked from the project page?

He's not a developer type, so I'm not sure that asking him to install the palm sdk is going to be something that works out well.

If having a "packager" is something that the project needs and I can figure it out, I'd be happy to give it a try.

Thanks

kgthunder wrote:I hope that you expand to other platforms before adding every requested feature so those of us not on Apple can use it.

The LDS Tools Wiki lists several platforms in addition to the iPhone for LDS Tools.....how many of these are now available?

If having a "packager" is something that the project needs and I can figure it out, I'd be happy to give it a try.

Having gone through the process of packaging (which is necessary in order to install it), I'm guessing that there's not much of a value added for someone to just be a packager. (I packaged it up and provided it to the Bishop's counselor who was interested in it.)

However, I have another question-- when I run the app in my webOS emulator, it never asked about downloading stake data like the iPhone did, and as a result I only have sample data. (I'm using version 0.4.5.) How do I encourage it do do the download, and is there a more direct place for platform specific questions?

Antho wrote:Thanks to the developers of this app, its great to see all this technology coming to good use and helping the ward and stake leaders to be more organised within their callings.

One issue I'm having with LDS Tools...I downloaded the LDS Tools App, The "Directory" tab works perfectly fine, however nothing appears when I open the "Callings" and "Events" Tab. It shows my ward at the top but the screen is blank.

Is anyone else having this issue???

It seemed like the beta version of this app would download your ward directory only and not the stake or events info if you downloaded it using the cellular network. To get the complete data download you had to use a wifi connection.

But I haven't tested this on the non-beta version, and I might be confusing this issue with the iStake app.

Please advise how long

Updated calling on MLS desktop and did a send/rec at about 09:00 EDT and at 14:22 EDT the changes have not appeared

Please advise how long before the updates are available at new,lds,org and can be down loaded to iPhone :LDS Tools"

pete_arnett wrote:Please advise how long

Updated calling on MLS desktop and did a send/rec at about 09:00 EDT and at 14:22 EDT the changes have not appeared

Please advise how long before the updates are available at new,lds,org and can be down loaded to iPhone :LDS Tools"

CDOL normally processes those changes quickly (less than 15 minutes) and then they are visible on new.lds.org right away. I think the service for LDS Tools looks at the overnight view of the data.

For today there was an issue over the weekend and CDOL's processing of the MLS changes backed up. They are now being processed and should be caught up in the next few hours.

zaneclark wrote:The LDS Tools Wiki lists several platforms in addition to the iPhone for LDS Tools.....how many of these are now available?

Again, which platforms are up and running?

zaneclark wrote:Again, which platforms are up and running?

Zane, Sorry to not post sooner... Right now, it looks like only the iPhone / iPad version is available. I am not a developer on the others, but have tried the Alpha version for Blackberry on one of the stake presidency's phones, and I couldn't get it to work. I know work is being done, but I really don't know the status or how long they are out for a 1.0 release. It looks like the Android version is shooting for a November Release for 1.0...
https://tech.lds.org/jira/browse/MMA#se ... dmap-panel

And with the blackberry, I am unsure...
https://tech.lds.org/wiki/index.php/LDS ... BlackBerry

Hope that helps....
Nate

zaneclark wrote:Again, which platforms are up and running?

I packaged the webOS version and provided it to the 2nd counselor in my bishopric-- he's quite impressed with it (especially since it's still an early version).

It turns out to be pretty easy to create the webOS installation package.

NateDavis wrote:...have tried the Alpha version for Blackberry on one of the stake presidency's phones, and I couldn't get it to work.

OH! My stake president is going to call me this week to install it on his blackberry. I'll cross my fingers-- he knows it's not a "released" version and may not work, but it would be nice to have it for him. He's definitely a fan of this technology!

I am very excited about this app, but I am having similar problems to some of the reviewers of the app on iTunes. I log in and enter my credentials. The program then downloads up to 98% of the data, fades out and eventually closes. When I try to reopen the app, it starts with the splash screen and then shuts down. I also tried it on my wife's phone with her credentials and the result was the same. We are both running iOS 4.1 with iphone/itouch. We are in a ward in New York, if location matters.

I think there is a place to comment about bugs within the program, but I can't get there, so I hope this is an okay forum. Thanks!

Is there/will there be a version released for Android devices?

dwh33 wrote:... The program then downloads up to 98% of the data, fades out and eventually closes. When I try to reopen the app, it starts with the splash screen and then shuts down. I also tried it on my wife's phone with her credentials and the result was the same. We are both running iOS 4.1 with iphone/itouch. We are in a ward in New York, if location matters.

I actually had several good days with the iPhone version before it started crashing on me. Googling around today, I found this page which may help figure out where the crashes are coming from (but it will require a file that is only available to someone who compiled the code): http://www.anoshkin.net/blog/2008/09/09 ... rash-logs/

I don't have xcode yet or the dSYM file in order to take the debugging to the next step. It is interesting to me that all of the recent crashes are from a SIGABRT, which I am guessing the IOS is sending to the process because the kernel thinks the application is taking too long?

If any of the developers (especially one who has the dSYM) are interested in looking at my .crash files, please let me know.

Here's another URL that may be useful: http://www.restoroot.com/Blog/2008/10/1 ... lications/ . There would just need to be an endpoint of some sort for accepting the exception reports.

This version can be downloaded from http://snyder.dnsalias.org/lds-tools_0.4.5_all.ipk (md5sum: ace77bfcbcc2ca0af9b979b683192343).

It is provided with no warranty. For the curious (or suspicious), as near as I can tell every build has a slightly different size even when there are no code changes, so if you build it yourself (which turns out to be not too difficult), your md5sum will be different from mine.

aclawson wrote:Is there/will there be a version released for Android devices?

Development is underway, as you can see on the wiki at LDS Tools for Android.

poruque não fazem isso em português...somos o segundo povo sud fora dos EUA e sempre somos uns dos ultimos a receber informaçoes, talves seja por isso que aqui exista tantos membros ruins......

Bruno, não é bem assim. O problema é que nós, membros da Igreja no Brasil não nos interessamos tanto pelas coisas como os americanos, além do fato de que poucos são os que trabalham com informática em nosso país. Acredito que dentro de alguns anos teremos muitas novidades na área de recursos de TI e Administração da Igreja disponíveis em Português. Assim como você, eu me frustro às vezes com coisas assim, mas infelizmente esta é a nossa realidade atual. O que podemos fazer é ajudar quando nos pedem ajuda, como na tradução de recursos (Simple Acts) e outras coisas que vão aparecendo aos poucos. Abraços.

unixguy wrote:I actually had several good days with the iPhone version before it started crashing on me. Googling around today, I found this page which may help figure out where the crashes are coming from (but it will require a file that is only available to someone who compiled the code): http://www.anoshkin.net/blog/2008/09/09 ... rash-logs/

I don't have xcode yet or the dSYM file in order to take the debugging to the next step. It is interesting to me that all of the recent crashes are from a SIGABRT, which I am guessing the IOS is sending to the process because the kernel thinks the application is taking too long?

If any of the developers (especially one who has the dSYM) are interested in looking at my .crash files, please let me know.

Here's another URL that may be useful: http://www.restoroot.com/Blog/2008/10/1 ... lications/ . There would just need to be an endpoint of some sort for accepting the exception reports.

I can add a little additional information. With a clean install on my device I had a friend, who has no problem with the app, log onto my device. No crash. After completing the log on to my device, and on his device I attempted to log on. In both cases the app crashed and when it was restarted the downloaded content showed his ward and stake.

This makes me believe that the problem has to be in the encoding of the data for my ward and stake - an error that doesn't occur in his data. Apparently, the app doesn't properly handle bad ward/stake data and crashes when it occurs.

An early version of "Gospel Library" had an issue like this where it would crash on specific parts of a lesson manual, again, this behavior was verified on different devices.

Hope this helps.

G

Hey All,

I was so excited to see this on The Church's site; however, when I click on the link that would bring me to iTunes, iTunes opens and presents me with the error, "Your request could not be completed. The item you've requested is not currently available in the US store."

Does anyone have any idea why this is? I also noticed it after the most recent update to the Gospel Library, but that seemed to be fixed after a few days. Thanks for the help and information!

elguapo wrote:I was so excited to see this on The Church's site; however, when I click on the link that would bring me to iTunes, iTunes opens and presents me with the error, "Your request could not be completed. The item you've requested is not currently available in the US store."

Does anyone have any idea why this is? I also noticed it after the most recent update to the Gospel Library, but that seemed to be fixed after a few days. Thanks for the help and information!

Details on this issue can be found on the wiki under LDS Tools for iPhone - Known Issues‎‎. That page will be updated as the status changes.

Thanks, Alan! I guess I will have to wait until they put it back in the app store.

aclawson wrote:Is there/will there be a version released for Android devices?

We have just posted a pre-release version for you all to try out. It can be found here:

http://tech.lds.org/dl/android/

More information about how to give feedback:

https://tech.lds.org/wiki/LDS_Tools_for_Android

We hope as many of you will be able to help us get this first release out as soon as possible. We have more features to come in further versions!

I am using the AT&T Captivate and non-market apps are not allowed. Is there any way to get the beta up in market so I can install and test?

One of the web api urls that the webOS version uses to download leadership info isn't working at the moment, which means that attempts to download your stake data will fail. The failure message is this: "Unit Leaders Download Failed. Please Try Again. Error FAILURE downloadUnitLeaders:404 -"

https://new.lds.org/directory/services/ludrs/1.1/unit/unit-leadershiplist/<your_unit_num> is the api call that's failing, so if your webOS ldstools app is still failing, please check that the above url works (using your own unit number).

(Is there anybody that can pass this on to the API team?)

unixguy wrote:Is there anybody that can pass this on to the API team?

According to the LDS Tools support - iPhone - iPad wiki page, you can email bug reports to ldstools-iphone@ldschurch.org.

aclawson wrote:I am using the AT&T Captivate and non-market apps are not allowed. Is there any way to get the beta up in market so I can install and test?

At the present time we don't have plans to post the pre-release version to the Android Market. The app is very close to complete but we wanted to try and make it available for testing if people have the ability to install it manually.

I'm sorry that the Captivate will not allow non-market installations. Please be patient with us until we do release to the market.

Jason Hyer - PM, LDS Tools for Android

Alan_Brown wrote:According to the LDS Tools support - iPhone - iPad wiki page, you can email bug reports to ldstools-iphone@ldschurch.org.

Since the problem noted is apparently only affecting the webOS version, and is caused by what appears to be an API failure, I was hesitant to complain at the iphone team.

Once it is ready for the android market, let me know and I will install the program and test

... for my wife. She sees everyone, young and old, in our home ward, but only adults in other wards in the stake.
I see everyone in mine.
The only difference I can think of is I have a stake calling, and she has a ward calling. I haven't seen anything about this--is that what makes the difference?
(Experia X10, Android, both of us)
Thanks,
D.G.

duanegrasse wrote:The only difference I can think of is I have a stake calling, and she has a ward calling.

This would allow you to see more. In spite of the note that I am only allowed to see youth in my own ward, I also have a stake calling and can see them all throughout the stake.

Thanks for the reply. Do you know why that is? I can't see why a member in another ward wouldn't have my ward's youth included.

lajackson wrote:This would allow you to see more. In spite of the note that I am only allowed to see youth in my own ward, I also have a stake calling and can see them all throughout the stake.

I just got called as the Ward Exec. Sec. So I downloaded LDS Tools for my iPod Touch. It worked great at first. But now, if I run the app for a while, then stop using it for a day or so, then try to start it up again, it won't load. I have to reboot my ipod for it work again. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Thanks,
Tim

duanegrasse wrote:Thanks for the reply. Do you know why that is? I can't see why a member in another ward wouldn't have my ward's youth included.

These are safety and security issues that have been determined by policy at a far higher level.

Those who need access to this information as a part of their callings can obtain it through more official channels from their priesthood leaders.

Yes, it is a pain sometimes, but I appreciate the very real concern for the safety of our youth and children.

timlindsey wrote:I downloaded LDS Tools for my iPod Touch. It worked great at first. But now, if I run the app for a while, then stop using it for a day or so, then try to start it up again, it won't load. I have to reboot my ipod for it work again. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Send a bug report to ldstools-iphone@ldschurch.org and let them know. Apparently, I have not noticed the problem because I turn my iTouch off at night.

Thanks for the insight. It seemed inconsistent that the info available online wouldn't be on the mobile app. That was the current (old) luws, though. I didn't realized that the restriction also applies at new.lds.org.

lajackson wrote:These are safety and security issues that have been determined by policy at a far higher level.

Those who need access to this information as a part of their callings can obtain it through more official channels from their priesthood leaders.

Yes, it is a pain sometimes, but I appreciate the very real concern for the safety of our youth and children.

The Callings feature on LDS Tools has stopped working on both my iPhone and iPad.....anyone else having this problem?

aclawson wrote:Is there/will there be a version released for Android devices?

For those interested in the Android version of LDS Tools you should take a look in Market...

The LDS Tools app for my iphone has been really helpful. However, I noticed the info was outdated, so I tried updating it today and I keep getting the message: "Account Issue: We apologize that LDS Tools cannot access your account We are aware of the problem and are working on a solution." Just wondering if there's an update on that.

Thanks

P.S. I wish the children can be hidden while I'm scrolling for names. Seems like it clutters the contact list when there aren't that many people looking for them.

I just tried updating the info in LDS Tools and it worked fine. It seems to me that I've gotten that message before (or similar one) when the server is bogged down or otherwise temporarily unavailable.

mavenmom wrote:P.S. I wish the children can be hidden while I'm scrolling for names. Seems like it clutters the contact list when there aren't that many people looking for them.

The Android version of this app has a Settings menu where you can toggle on and off the display of Spouses and Children in the contact list.

jbh001 wrote:I just tried updating the info in LDS Tools and it worked fine. It seems to me that I've gotten that message before (or similar one) when the server is bogged down or otherwise temporarily unavailable.

I have only been able to download information twice in the last week. The last time was on the 16th. Both times, I was only able to download once, then I got the same error on subsequent tries.

lmitchel wrote:I have only been able to download information twice in the last week. The last time was on the 16th. Both times, I was only able to download once, then I got the same error on subsequent tries.

After not being able to download information since my last post, I finally resorted to reinstalling the app after deleting it. All appears to be well in LDS Tools again.

jbh001 wrote:After not being able to download information since my last post, I finally resorted to reinstalling the app after deleting it. All appears to be well in LDS Tools again.

Thanks for letting me know. After reinstalling the app, it started downloading the info again. It had been failing at 3%. I tried it a couple of times successfully.

mavenmom wrote:P.S. I wish the children can be hidden while I'm scrolling for names. Seems like it clutters the contact list when there aren't that many people looking for them.

Tap the "Group By" button in the top right corner, then select "Households Only". This will remove the children from the list.

lmitchel wrote:Thanks for letting me know. After reinstalling the app, it started downloading the info again. It had been failing at 3%. I tried it a couple of times successfully.

I have an iPod Touch and my dad has an iPad. I occasionally have this problem, but my dad is lucky if he can ever get it to DL. We have both reinstalled the app at various times and this does fix the problem, but it doesn't stay fixed. Right now my dad is at over two weeks since his last DL and doesn't want to have to reinstall again since that would lose the custom lists he has set up. Any other solutions, or does anyone know what the cause is yet?

On the tech site for LDS Tools, they are aware of this bug and are trying to fix it.... I don't understand 90% of what they are talking about on that site but I think I understood this one....

just downloaded version 1.0.5 - and now I am getting "unable to connect to data service" - Have deleted and reinstalled, and also restarted my device… think there's a problem.

I downloaded app on Monday evening. Didn't have any problems in using. However, I have heard of one other person, in our Stake, who can't get it to work. I don't know if they have done any of the deleting, rebooting etc. He is using an IPhone. I use an IPodTouch 32Gb. Whether this has any bearing on the matter. I know not.

I'm very pleased with the way the app is progressing. Especially retaining the Calendar data. Something I made a suggestion about when it was first released.

I'm experiencing problem downloading on my iPad. Had 1.0.4 which would not allow any conection. Deleted that version, then installed v1.0.5 and now connects and starts the download but never finishes. Keep getting "error unable to connect to data services". It once said it had reached 103% download and still got the same error. Wondering if this is my iPad connection dropping or an issue with the app?

Rebooting my iPod fixed my download issue (for now).

Great App... I was said to see Istake as I used it all the time. Being free is a huge plus and so far I see no issues. Also the ability to add notes is wonderful.

Is this app going to become available for other mobile devices?

I can't wait for the additional access for leadership callings.

danmcf wrote:Is this app going to become available for other mobile devices?

LDS Tools is currently available for Android and Apple mobile platforms.

If you go to the LDS Tools application wiki page, you'll see that webOS, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile versions are also under development.

Tried again this morning, without any further deleting or other changes and it all worked fine. Not sure what the difference was that got it working, but happy it is.

last night LDS Tools started to crash on my Ipod touch. It won't stay open for more than 20-30 seconds. Any Ideas?

danmcf wrote:last night LDS Tools started to crash on my Ipod touch. It won't stay open for more than 20-30 seconds. Any Ideas?

1. Reboot
2. Delete, re-install
3. Delete, reboot, re-install
4. Delete, reboot, re-install, reboot
5. Re-sync with the Mac/PC

jbh001 wrote:1. Reboot
2. Delete, re-install
3. Delete, reboot, re-install
4. Delete, reboot, re-install, reboot
5. Re-sync with the Mac/PC

And do it at a time when you think the server will not be busy, although I am not sure exactly when that would be.

1.0.5 is still broken for me - haven't been able to connect for an update for about a week?! Patience is waning...

It's important to provide feedback through the lds.org web site regarding the problems that are being encountered.
Although it's helpful to post here in the forum, the real need is to get the information back to the developers who can then resolve the problems.

i've already been in contact with the team - just venting

Danny, are you still having the same problems with 1.0.6?

@Paul - I have managed to get updated data - but it never gets it all. Mainly errors out at 70% or so - and allows me to use the data it gets. If I browse stake callings for instance, there are almost none listed. Does that make sense?

The problem I am experiencing with this ap is that the directory comes up blank, with no names as well as the calling part. The only part that has any information is the calendar.
I've deleted the ap and downloaded again with the same problems. Any idea how to solve this?????

If you were trying to do this yesterday, its highly unlikely that the sync went through, especially if you live in the USA. On Sundays the Church servers experience very high loads and more often than not fail to sync at all!

You don't say which platform you are using (IOS, Android etc). From my experience with the IOS version, Sunday is the day to avoid trying to download any data. I believe the Church is in the process of updating its servers, but we don't know how long that will take!

At the moment just avoid Sundays, for syncing purposes, until the situation is resolved!