PalmProject - Project Scheduler for PalmPilot
Version 0.6 Beta Frequently Asked Questions

Copyright © 1997 PDAWare&trade

Q. What are the changes from Version 0.5 Beta ?
A. The new features are:
5-day or 7-day workweek options,
Saving and restoring to desktop PC using PalmPilot's default backup

The bug fixes are:
Task in focus is now properly identified and highlighted.
New task now appends the new task below the task in focus. This allows adding tasks to the end of the list.
The end date can no longer be set to less than the start date.
Task completion percentage can now be set to 100%.
The autoshift for the first character has been enabled in the Edit Task and Details dialogs.
Inconsistencies with the user interface were fixed.

Q. Can PalmProject import/export data to Microsoft Project ?
A. PDAWare is currently evaluating adding this feature. A CSV (comma-separated value) conduit is in the works and will be available with a subsequent release. However, note that PalmProject is intended to provide the kind of project scheduling and management needed for most average projects, i.e., simple dependencies, easy to use and understand, whereas MS Project is an industrial-strength project management tool.

Q. Can PalmProject work with Palm OS 1.x ?
A. No, PalmProject uses functions only available in Palm OS 2.0. In fact, PalmProject has not been tested on non OS 2.0 Pilots and therefore is not recommended for anything below OS 2.0.

Q. Can PalmProject create Gantt charts ?
A. The PalmPilot excels at list-based textual display and not at graphical displays. It would be unwieldy to create a Gantt chart with any reasonable resolution and expect users to scroll several screens. Hence, this function is not a feature of PalmProject and may never be.

Q. Can a task have multiple links ?
A. Version 0.6 Beta is limited to a single link only. This link has to be to a previous task i.e. a task with a task number less than the one it is linked to.

Q. How does the "New" button actually work ?
A. Version 0.6 Beta implements the "New" button as follows: If no task is selected, i.e. the task number is not highlighted, the new task will be the first task in the list. If a task is selected, tapping the "New" button will create a new task below that task number and shift down the remaining tasks. All of the links of the shifted down tasks will change to reflect their dependencies with the updated task numbers. For the new task, a default task name of "New Task" is assigned, the start and end dates are today's date and a duration of zero days is assigned. Also the link field is set to 0.

Q. Can a task have durations in hours ?
A. Version 0.6 Beta is limited to a durations in days only. You also cannot specify days in fractions, such as 0.5 or 2.5 - only whole days are allowed.

Q. What are some of the limitations built-in to PalmProject ?
A. The total number of tasks are limited to 99. The number of characters for the task name and the resource are limited to 32.

Q. How can I change the order of the tasks ? Is a task draggable ?
A. This function is not supported directly. Since the project is maintained in a chronological order, you have to know which task comes after which. To change the order or move the task around, you must create a new task at the new location, reenter the information (you can cut and paste from the old task) and then delete or overwrite the old task. This function will be made easier in subsequent releases.
Note of thanks!
PDAWare appreciates all the beta testers who provided feedback. Please continue to forward comments to PDAWare (pilotdev@aol.com).
All trademarks and registered trademarks are owned by their respective companies.
Last revision 12/18/1997
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