BigOven

OK, So I have BigOven on my iPhone - works great. Now how do I tell my paid BigOven Windows Version so I can sync and share favorites in both places?I have not found anything on the desktop app to link these up...

The free iPhone application does not do "sync" per se.  It uses the Web to access your online favorites, online try soons, and the gigantic recipe archive. 

To get recipes from your PC to the iPhone, first post them to the archive, and mark them favorites.  (You mark a given recipe an online favorite while viewing the recipe page itself.)  Then, log in on your iPhone (it'll remember your login from session to session).  Then, simply tap the heart icon to access your favorites from anywhere!

From the online web site, I see a button to "import" a recipe, but not to mark as a "Favorite" - am I missing something obvious?

On www.bigoven.com from a browser, look on the right hand side.  (It's in this video here:  http://www.bigoven.com/demos/siteoverview/bigoven-overview.html)

From within BigOven for Windows, scroll down a bit and you'll see a link to add it to your Favorites or Try Soons...

 I really appreciate your quick response - I can now share between bigoven.com andmy iPhone, but when I click the "heart" in the windows package, i dont see my favorites. How do I tell the Windows app my iPhone/bigoven.com user id?

Just as you log into the BigOven iPhone app with your email and password, you do so on the PC.

When you click on "Favorite" on the web page, if you're not logged in, you'll be prompted to log in. 

 Well, I quit the app and re-started, butdid not see any "log-in" screen. We are trying to evaluate this app and have already had to purchase Crossover for the Mac ($40) to get it going (after a good bit of help from Crossover, I might mention, since this is an "unsupported" program - and we have no other PC programs of interest to see on the Mac).

 Anyway, we finally got it going on our Mac (already runnning the BigOven web version and iPhone client), but am concened about how easy it is actually going to be to import other recipes from the web etc. - since we are running an unregistered version at present, it does not appear that we can even test this function <??>.  Please advise. 

Continuing testing ..

 Now I just tried Finding a recipe - (Parmesan Crusted Chicken) - worked fine

I then clicked shopping list - OK so far

I then added to plan this for Dinner on 1/5  seemed ok, BUT- when I clicked "OK" the application crashed with a Microsoft Visual C++ runtime error.

Wife not impressed.

Me either..shouldn't be this hard...

Please note, the Crossover environment is not technically a supported configuration from us here at Lakefront.  We have heard from other users that it works just fine in Crossover, but we have neither tested nor evaluated this configuration on our own.  We love the Mac but BigOven is, for now, a Windows app.  The website, though, is fully supported on the Mac for both Firefox and Safari. 

We have a full money back guarantee if you'd like -- just email us at support @ bigoven.com with your order details and we'll be happy to issue a full refund and void the serial number.

On the log-in issue, when you first launch BigOven, it should take you to your home page (if you chose the 'Launch Welcome page from Internet' option, the default, during installation).  It should prompt you for your login information when you try to access any online recipe.

>>  did not see any "log-in" screen

When you are running BigOven, any time you're browing recipes in the shared web archive, or rating recipes in the archive, or submitting pictures, etc., you'll need to be logged in.  The website will prompt you if you're not.  Your home page will also show a login link if you've chosen "Load Welcome from the Internet" in Tools/Options (or when you went through the install process).

>> am concened about how easy it is actually going to be to import other recipes from the web etc. - since we are running an unregistered version

You should be able to do all of that in the free trial version.  All you need is a free BigOven.com account -- the same one it sounds like you created on your iPhone via the free iPhone app.

 Well I really appreciate your fast responses - I double checked the tools/options and the "welcome page from internet" box is (and was) checked, but no login is ever requested unless I am in a browser window on the web. I am logged into the web version, yet the login you mention never shows up.

 On the Windows version - the "Import" button is grayed out, however I did find an "import" from a drop down menu...

 From the import menu on the windows version I tried importing an Alton Brown recipe - all worked well (defined ingredients, instructions, etc.) up until the point I pressed the "import" button. I then got a system msg that BigOven was requesting a quit in an unusual way.. the program then crashed. 

 I honestly dont know if the paid version is any different from the trial - though we have other PCs in the house - the iMAC is the Kitchen computer so this needs to run here. 

I downloaded a version to my laptop sitting here next to the mac (temp) -I do get a login here. The import seems to work.

I believe the CrossOver version is not a solution. 

You have a great program - It needs to run on the Mac.

Thanks much. 

Just to help in the diagnosis:

1)  The "Import!" button at the top is greyed out until you visit an online-hosted recipe.  Then, it will enable and you should be ablet to click on it.

2)  One way of testing whether you are logged in is to do this:

a)  Launch BigOven

b)  Click on the globe icon above the web viewer. This will bring up an Internet address bar.

c)  Use that address bar to visit the logout page:  http://www.bigoven.com/private/logout.aspx

d)  Click the Home icon in the address bar.

e)  It should say "welcome, sign in" at the top.  Click on Sign In and enter your email & password to log in.  Click on the heart icon to see online favorites, if you have any stored.  Or, type in a recipe (e.g., "lasagna") and then click on a link in the result set. 

 Thanks ..

 Did that and get the login page..

Entered the email and PW and clicked the "OK" button, but nothing happens.. page just stays there ... wondering if the problem is with crossover or  ....???

 This behavior could also happen if your email/password combination isn't correct for some reason.  (We've seen cases of where there's an extra space in the email address, for instance, and it doesn't match.)  Can you scroll up and down the page and make sure it's not telling you it doesn't recognize your email/password combo, and also just for kicks, can you email us at support at bigoven.com with the login email and password you are trying? 

(We don't officially support the Crossover-on-Macintosh configuration for BigOven for Windows, but we have indeed had several users report that it works just fine for them.  So we'd like to eliminate the "easy" reasons this might be happening.)