Ingredients:
- Memento (or any other database app that allows you to snyc with Google Spreadsheets)
- Google Spreadsheets
Google Spreadsheets has quite a lot to offer for use as a cloud database: open API, multiple tables, import from web sources, and a query function. This makes it ideal for mobile apps as a database and in fact it is used as database storage quite frequently, e.g. by the My Tracks app. The advantages of using Google Spreadsheets are
- Syncing the data easily across multiple devices: PC, mobile phone, tablet
- Typing in data from your PC rather than on your mobile devices
With Memento for android, a database application similar to Bento for iOS, you can create your own database and link it to a Google spreadsheet.
The single rows serve as the data fields and will be formatted with the respective data-type. Memento has quite an impressive set of data types:- text
- numbers
- dates
- images
- barcode (scan with your phone’s camera)
- your own dropdown lists (e.g. days of the week)
A teacher might want to create a database of DVDs for school use and have it always available on at school (i.e. on a mobile device). That can be done in a few simple steps.
Directions:
- In Memento create a new database by using “add a library” menu button
- You can choose a default template, a user created template from the web or make your custom template
- In the case of a DVD collection choose the default template
- You can now delete ore add fields (e.g. you might not need the cover image)
- Optionally you can set a password
- When you have set up the fields tap on “create” at the bottom )
- Long tap a the database DVD icon and then link to Google Docs
- Now you are ready to type in data in your Google spreadsheet
You can create databases for any kind of media you need for teaching or studying: books, audiobooks, documentaries, etc. The free edition of Memento allows you to use three Google spreadsheets.
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