If you're a Desktop Report Writer user looking to transfer templates between computers or devices, you've come to the right place. Whether you prefer using the cloud or manual methods, this guide will walk you through the step-by-step process for seamless transfers.
Transferring a Template Using the Cloud
Transferring templates using the cloud is the preferred method because it is a convenient and straightforward process. Here's how:
- Click HG Services > Upload Cloud Templates & Settings
- Select the template(s) you want to transfer
- Select from Forms, Contacts, Invoices, and Autofills to be included and click OK
- On your other computer or device, go to HG Services > Download Cloud Templates & Settings. Select from Forms, Contacts, Invoices, and Autofill data you want to download. If one of the following wasn't included in the upload, then it won't be an option to download.
- Click Select Report Template to choose and use the template
Manually Transferring All Templates to a New Computer
If you prefer a manual approach and have an external storage device at hand, follow these steps:
- From your old computer
- Open your File Explorer and navigate to Documents/HomeGauge or wherever your HomeGauge folder is located.
- Right-click the Templates folder and choose copy
- Plug in and open your external storage device. Inside the device, right-click and choose Paste (or press Ctrl-V)
- Safely remove your external storage device from your old computer
- On your new computer
- Open the external storage device and copy the Templates folder.
- Navigate to Documents/HomeGauge or wherever your HomeGauge folder is, right-click a blank area, and choose Paste (or press Ctrl-V). If prompted to overwrite, choose Yes.
- Open the Desktop Report Writer
- Click Select Report Template to double-check that your templates appear for use
Note: If you are upgrading computers, consider copying the entire HomeGauge folder from your old computer to the new one's Documents folder before installing Desktop Report Writer. You may need to run the installer again to resolve version conflicts if Desktop Report Writer was already installed on the new computer.
Manually Transferring A Single Template to a New Computer
For a single template transfer using an external storage device, follow these steps:
- From your old computer
- Open your File Explorer and navigate to Documents/HomeGauge/Templates or wherever your HomeGauge Folder is located
- Open the Category the template is in, then right-click the template file and choose Copy
- Plug in and open your external storage device. Inside the device, right-click and choose Paste (or press Ctrl-V)
- Safely remove your external storage device from your old computer
- On your new computer
- Open the external storage device and copy the template file.
- Navigate to Documents/HomeGauge/Templates or wherever your HomeGauge Folder is located
- Open the Category folder you would like the template to belong to
- Right-click a blank area and choose Paste (or press Ctrl-V). If prompted to overwrite, choose Yes.
- Open the HomeGauge Software
- Click Select Report Template to double-check that your template appears for use
Manually Transferring a Template (Legacy)
We recommend using the HG Cloud for transferring templates.
Note: Android Companion Version 5.4.9.0 and newer had many necessary updates to meet Android security requirements. With this update, the Data Folder changed from External Storage to App Specific Storage on the Companions location. If you want to learn more about these updates, you can click here.
If you are on Android Companion Version 5.4.2.5 or older you can follow these steps to transfer a template to the Android Companion manually:
- On your computer, open your File Explorer and navigate to Documents/HomeGauge/Templates
- Open the Category the template is in, then right-click the template file and choose Copy
- Connect your Android phone to your computer via USB.
- You may see an installation bubble in the bottom right of your screen. Wait for the computer to complete installation.
- On your Android phone, pull down the notification window and tap the USB Connected or Charge Via USB. Select the option that says "Transferring Media Files" or similar to allow access to the files
- On your computer, open This PC or My Computer. You'll see your phone there. Open it by double-clicking.
- Navigate to the Template folder on your phone. The default location for the Template folder on Android is /mnt/sdcard/HomeGauge/Template but can vary depending on the device. To find the location, you can go to Options > HomeGauge Data Folder in the HG Companion
- Once inside the Templates folder, right-click and choose Paste (or press Ctrl-V).
- Safely eject the Android device. Power the device off and back on, then open HomeGauge Companion and choose Select Report Template.
If you have pictures or drawings attached to comments, you must also transfer the Attachments folder. Located on your computer at Documents\HomeGauge\Attachments copy the Attachments folder and paste the folder in your Android device in the HomeGauge folder.
Transferring a Report Using a USB Cable
We recommend using the HG Cloud for transferring reports, but if you have files that are too large or your internet isn't working correctly, use the following steps to transfer your files manually.
- On your Desktop, create a new transfer folder called HomeGauge
- Inside the transfer folder, create blank AutoFill, Forms, Reports, Templates, and Attachments folders
- Navigate to your Software HomeGauge data folder. By default, this can be found under C:/Users/Documents
- Copy the files you would like to transfer from the data folder, and paste them into the associated folder in the transfer folder
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Connect your Android device to the computer
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Place the HomeGauge transfer folder inside the device Downloads folder
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On companion, go to Three-dot menu >More > Import Date Folder
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Navigate to Downloads, select the HomeGauge transfer folder, and tap Use This Folder
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Allow HomeGauge to access files