Tools
Your field toolbox: unit converters, document utilities, photo markup, NFC and QR helpers, all in one list.
The Tools screen is the launch pad for the app's built-in field utilities. Every tool is grouped into a labelled category with a descriptive icon, so you can find a converter, build a PDF, run a stopwatch, read or write an NFC tag, or scan a QR code without hunting through menus. Tap any row to open that tool; tap the back arrow at the top left to return to App Settings.
Overview
The list has five category headers, always in this order, with these rows:
| Category | Rows (in screen order) |
|---|---|
| Conversion | Convert Area, Convert Length, Convert Speed, Convert Temperature, Convert Time Zone, Convert Volume, Convert Weight |
| Documents | Combind PDF, Extract PDF, Scan to PDF |
| General | Photo Markup, Risk Assessment - GAR, Stopwatch, Sunset / Sunrise |
| NFC Devices | NFC Reader, NFC Writer, NFC Reset |
| QR Codes | QR Code Generator, QR Code Scanner |
The Documents row is labelled Combind PDF on screen. It is the combine-PDF tool; the spelling is a known label quirk, not a different tool.
What each row opens
| Row | What happens when you tap it |
|---|---|
| Convert Area | Opens the area converter on its own screen |
| Convert Length | Opens the length / distance converter |
| Convert Speed | Opens the speed converter |
| Convert Temperature | Opens the temperature converter |
| Convert Time Zone | Opens the time-zone converter |
| Convert Volume | Opens the volume converter |
| Convert Weight | Opens the weight converter |
| Combind PDF | Opens the combine-PDF screen for merging documents |
| Extract PDF | Opens the extract-PDF screen for pulling pages out |
| Scan to PDF | Opens the camera-based PDF Generator |
| Photo Markup | Opens Photo Drawing |
| Risk Assessment - GAR | Opens the GAR risk-assessment worksheet |
| Stopwatch | Opens the stopwatch |
| Sunset / Sunrise | Opens the daylight-times lookup |
| NFC Reader | Starts an NFC scan straight away — no new screen |
| NFC Writer | Opens the NFC writer screen |
| NFC Reset | Starts an NFC session that clears the tag — no new screen |
| QR Code Generator | Opens the Wi-Fi network QR code generator |
| QR Code Scanner | Checks camera access, then opens a full-screen scanner |
Getting Here
- Open the Account tab.
- Open App Settings.
- Select Tools. The categorised list opens.
The screen follows your Theme choice from App Defaults, so it opens in light or dark to match the rest of the app. It also respects Keep Screen Awake: if that setting is on, the display will not dim while you are working in Tools.
Open a Conversion Tool
The Conversion category holds seven unit calculators for common field measurements.
- Scroll to Conversion at the top of the list.
- Tap the tool you need — for example Convert Length, Convert Temperature or Convert Time Zone. The matching converter opens on its own screen.
- Enter your value and read the converted result.
- Tap the back arrow to return to the Tools list and pick another converter.
Converters open as separate screens, so you can move back and forth between two of them quickly without losing your place in the Tools list.
Open a Document Tool
The Documents category provides three ways to create and rework PDF files.
- Tap Scan to PDF to photograph pages with the camera and assemble them into one document. See PDF Generator.
- Tap Combind PDF to merge several existing PDFs into a single file.
- Tap Extract PDF to pull selected pages out of an existing PDF into a new one.
If what you actually want is to annotate a photo and then export it, use Photo Markup in the General category instead — it has drawing, cropping, sticker and text tools, plus its own Create PDF action. See Photo Drawing.
Use the General Tools
| Tool | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Photo Markup | Annotating photos and exporting them as a PDF |
| Risk Assessment - GAR | Filling in a GAR (Green / Amber / Red) risk-assessment worksheet |
| Stopwatch | Timing an activity or interval on scene |
| Sunset / Sunrise | Looking up daylight times for planning operations |
- Scroll to the General header.
- Tap the tool you need. Each opens on its own screen.
- Tap the back arrow when you are finished.
Work with NFC Tags
The NFC Devices category uses your device's built-in NFC hardware. Two of the three rows start a scan immediately instead of opening a screen.
Read a tag
- Tap NFC Reader. The system NFC sheet appears and scanning starts.
- Hold the top of your iPhone against the tag and keep it still.
- When the tag is read, an alert titled NFC Tag Detected appears with the tag's contents laid out as text.
- Dismiss the alert to return to the Tools list.
Write to a tag
- Tap NFC Writer to open the writer screen.
- Enter the text you want to store and start the write.
- Hold the phone against the tag. On success a toast confirms ✅ Successfully written text: followed by the text you saved.
Clear a tag
- Tap NFC Reset. Scanning starts immediately.
- Hold the phone against the tag.
- A toast confirms 🧹 Tag data has been cleared successfully.
NFC requires a device with NFC hardware and an unlocked screen. Keep the phone steady against the tag until the system sheet closes — moving away early cancels the session silently and nothing is written or cleared.
Scan or Generate QR Codes
Scan a code
- Tap QR Code Scanner.
- The app checks camera access first:
- Already allowed — the scanner opens straight away.
- Not yet asked — an explanation appears, then the system camera prompt. Allow it and the scanner opens without a second tap.
- Previously denied — an alert titled Camera Permission Denied appears with the message "Please enable Camera permission in settings to use this feature." Tap OK to jump to Settings.
- Point the camera at the code. The scanner fills the screen and hides the navigation bar; a flashlight button is available for dark spaces.
- When a code is read, the app acts on it — opening the linked record or content where it recognises the code.
The scanner reads codes from the live camera only. Choosing a QR image from your photo library is turned off on this screen.
Create a code
- Tap QR Code Generator.
- The Wi-Fi network QR screen opens so you can build a code others can scan to join a network.
How This Connects
- Where the tools live. Tools is a page inside App Settings, alongside App Defaults and General Settings. Nothing on this screen is synced to the server — it is a launcher.
- Theme and screen sleep. The light or dark look comes from Theme, and whether the display stays lit comes from Keep Screen Awake, both in App Defaults.
- Camera permission is shared. The camera grant used by QR Code Scanner, Scan to PDF and Photo Markup is one device-level permission. Allow it once and all three work; deny it and all three show the same Camera Permission Denied alert. See Permission Required and Permissions.
- Photos flow onward. Images you mark up in Photo Markup are saved to your device photo library, which is the same source you pick from when attaching a photo to an incident or a chat message — see Incident Additional Tab and Chat.
- Offline behaviour. The converters, stopwatch, NFC rows and QR generator are entirely on-device and work with no signal. Sunset / Sunrise and any tool that looks something up may need a connection.
Troubleshooting
| If this happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| Tapping QR Code Scanner shows "Camera Permission Denied" | Tap OK, turn on Camera for REDENES in Settings, then return and tap the row again |
| The NFC sheet appears but no tag is read | Hold the very top edge of the phone flat against the tag and keep it still; move any case or metal out of the way |
| NFC Reader does nothing at all | The device has no NFC hardware, or the screen locked mid-scan — unlock and try again |
| No success toast after NFC Writer or NFC Reset | The session ended before the tag was written; repeat the action and hold longer |
| A converter opens but shows no result | Enter a value in the input field — converters only calculate once there is something to convert |
| Combind PDF or Extract PDF shows no files | The documents have to be reachable from the app first; open or download them, then return to the tool |
| The list looks wrong for your theme | Check Theme in App Defaults; the Tools screen follows that setting |
Related Pages
⬅️ Previous: Anomaly Details | Next: Time & Distance Calculator ➡️