Recording UDF Values in Mobile for Import into Desktop

A User Defined Field (UDF) update to Birder’s Diary Desktop v5.2.52 in order to support UDFs in Birder’s Diary Mobile for Android.

If you have defined and use UDF fields in BD Desktop, prior to this release you did not have a way to record data for these fields using BD Mobile and have them auto-imported into BD Desktop.

Simply add the UDF name and value into the Comments for the sighting in BD Mobile using one of the following formats:

• [UDF-field-abbrev:value] – for example “[PLUM:alternate]”
• [UDF-field-name:value] – for example “[Plumage:basic]”
• If you are entering a value for a YesNo field (e.g. Name = “DEAD”), then simply [UDF-field-abbrev] – for example “[DEAD]”. No value after a colon is required. The presence of a YesNo field name in the comments without a value will signify YES.

For example, if you had the following UDFs defined in BD, the comments below entered into BD Mobile would properly set those UDF values on Import.

Breeding Codes with v1.43

New with v1.43 of BD Mobile, there is a Breeding Code dropdown on the Sightings Detail window (long-press on any name in a Checklist to open) that allows you to select from a list of the recognized breeding codes in use. If you select one of those, it will cause the following text to be added to your Sighting Comments field:

[BC:<selected breeding code>]

 For example:

[BC:NY – Nest with young]

This will be imported to a UDF with the Name or Abbreviation of “BC” (short for Breeding Code). So be sure you already have such a UDF or create one. Suggested name would be “Breeding Code” and abbreviation must be “BC”. This UDF can be either of type Text or type List (that you pre-popuplate with some of your favorite breeding codes).