The JFileVw application is a Win95/WinNT standalone application which allows you to
database information that is destined for the Palm Pilot.
The JFileVw viewer works in cooperation with the JFile application on the Pilot.
If you have installed the GCM (Generic Conduit Manager) on your desktop, the JFileVw app will recognize this at startup, and display a list of your database conduits on the right hand side. You can simply select a database from this list and you will see the data displayed in a grid on the left hand side. From here you can:
JFile requires GCM25 or higher to offer hotsync services to the user. Bothway hotsync allows you to make changes to the data either on the PC or the Pilot, and the two machines with exchange data during a hotsync to make the two versions of the database the same.
If you have not installed the GCM, the JFileVw app will start up and display the database files that it finds in your Backup directory. You can simply click on them to view the data in the grid on the left hand site. From here you can:
With the nonGCM environment, data is transferred from the Pilot to the PC during a hotsync, and deposited in the Backup directory. If you make changes on the PC, you can send them back to the Pilot using the "install" feature. These changes will over-write any changes you make on the Pilot between the time you sync'd and when you "installed".
[The original HotSync 1.1/PilotDesktop only sends data from the Pilot to the PC once. If a file of the same name already exists, the PilotDesktop does not over-write it. This means that the data file in the Backup directory is often "stale". You can freshen it by deleting or renaming the datafile. You can eliminate this problem by either using the GCM conduit, or upgrading to the most recent HotSync 1.1.]
click a database name on the right hand list
or
click on the "Browse" button to select a file
or
select File/Open Database from the menu
To make a new database
click on File/New Database from the menu (no implemented yet)
To save the database
click on File/Save Database from the menu
To add data to a database
select a database; click on the grid; click on Edit/InsertRow; type in the data
or
select a database; click on the grid; click on Edit/Paste to add data
To remove data from the database
select a database; click or drag on the grid; click on Edit/Cut
To export data
select data on the grid; click on File/SaveAs and select the file type; hit OK
or
select only one cell on the grid;click on File/SaveAs and select the file type; hit OK
The rule here is that if only one cell is selected, the whole database is saved; if multiple cells are selected then only the selected area is saved.
To import data
select data on the grid (any number of cells) and paste
or
select File/Open Database from the menu and change the file type to .csv and select a file
To add a database to the conduit list
To remove a database from the conduit list:
To install a database into the Pilot
select a database from the right hand side and click the "Install" button
or
use the Explorer and drag the database file onto the InstApp.exe program
or
run the InstApp program and hit the "Browse" button and select the database file
This file type allows for the most flexibility with regard to import and export. In the Preferences dialog, you can select whether the first line of a .csv file contains the field names, or whether it contains the first line of data. Here is a typical .csv file with the first line as field names:
"Book Title",Author,Price "A Tail of Two Cities","Charles Dickens",$14.95 "Murder in the Rue Morgue","Edgar Allan Poe",$3.95 "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy","leCarree",$19.95 """Mandingo""","Kipling",$10
The rules are:
JFile does not handle carriage-returns within a piece of data; don't do it.
If you use Basic, you can just Write #1 or Input #1. If you are using Quattro, Excel or Access, just create/use .CSV files.
You can edit the database information on screen, by clicking on the cell, or hitting the F2 key. Edits operate as you would expect, except that the "enter" key is used to complete and edit. The light blue background indicates that you are in edit mode.
You can insert and delete rows in the database by using the Edit menu. [A delete will not cause renumbering of the database. An insert does cause renumbering. For most users, this is irrelivent.]
Modified records are marked with an exclamation mark in the first column. Once you have performed a hotsync with the Pilot, these exclamations will dissappear.
In the File menu there is an option to view Preferences:
Use first line of .csv files as field labels
[for file import] The first line of a .csv file will be treated as field labels. Otherwise, default field labels are used.
Include fields labels in cut/copy operation
Data which is put on the clipboard has an extra line at the top, containing the relevent field names.
Auto open first database
The first database in the list will be automatically opened at program start.
Display deleted records
Records which have been marked for deletion will be shown in the grid, with an X after the record number. Once you have performed a HotSync with the Pilot, these records will be permanently deleted.
Select cell text on edit
When you start to edit a cell in the grid, the text will be selected. The default is that the cursor should reset at the end of the text, with the text unselected.
Make backup copies of database files
Database files (both .csv and .pdb) will have a backup copy made before the new data is written to disk.
AutoSave on Exit
If changes were made to the database, these changes are save (without prompting) when you exit the program.
NOTE: if a hotsync occurs while the program is running, the database will be saved to disk without prompting!
This build of JBaseVw does not allow you to edit the field names or datastructures. These must be modified on the Pilot itself. The reason is that the sync process becomes way to complex if we allow this feature.
Similarly, if you rename or add fields to a database, you must do a HotSync with the PilotToPC option set!