Signature Capture And GPS Capture Using Android Samsung Galaxy Tab
Due to its form factor, the Canvas team thinks the Samsung Tab running Android is a great way to fill out forms and capture data. It is also this tablet form factor that makes it perfect for capturing a signature and GPS coordinates. In this article we walk through how easy it is to use Canvas on Android to record information and capture a signature, much like you would using a paper form, but then we go beyond paper by also capturing GPS coordinates and demonstrate what this would look like running on a Samsung Tab. While walking through this article, keep in mind that in addition to Android, Canvas supports BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad and Windows Mobile.
Building The Sample Safety Inspection App
The "Sample Safety Inspection" Canvas app we built for this article took about 5 minutes to build using the Canvas App Builder. The screens are simple, but help to demonstrate the functionality we want to show.
Steps To Build The "Sample Safety Inspection App"
1. Signup for a free trial of Canvas
2. On the "My Apps" tab within the Canvas website, click "Create New App"
3. Specify the name "Sample Safety Inspection App" and click "Save and launch builder"
4. Within the Canvas App Builder - build the three screens
"Customer Information" screen - contains a few simple text boxes, a value list and a GPS control to capture the current location
"Inspection List" screen - contains a list of inspection items to check off once they are inspected
"Signature" screen - contains a signature control for the user to sign and a text control for the user to type in their name
5. Click "Save and Publish" and make sure that the Canvas login you want to use this app with is checked.
Safety Inspection App On the Android Samsung Tab
Once you have built the Canvas app using the Canvas App Builder, you can then log in on your Samsung Tab and open the application. Below are screenshots of what the application will look like running on a Samsung Tab:
1. Customer Information Screen
2. Inspection List Screen
3. Signature Screen
Data Captured Using Samsung Tab
Once you upload data from the Samsung Tab, you will be able to view your data online and link out to Google Maps for the captured GPS coordinates and see the signature via your browser or converted to a PDF. In addition, data collected using your Android Samsung Tab can be exported to Excel or integrated using the Canvas webservices API.
An example submission of the Safety Ispection App can be found Samsung Tab Safety Inspection PDF.
Helpful Links
Here are some other helpful links:
Capturing GPS Coordinates Using Your Android or Blackberry
Capturing Signatures Using Canvas
How To Download Submitted Data from Canvas
Contact Us
If you have any questions about how to use Canvas to capture GPS coordinates or capture Signatures, or any other questions regarding how to use Canvas with your Samsung Tab, other Android devices, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry or Windows Mobile, don't hesitate to contact us.
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