Welcome to the Generic Conduit Manager

  • To everyone who is taking this:

    • Contents

    Installing the Conduit Manager

    1. Extract all the files from the .zip into a work directory.
    2. Start the program CondMgr.exe
    3. Select the first menu item Install/InstallConduitManager
    4. Add any of
    5. You must restart the HotSync program to force it to reload its configuration data

    What the install does

    1. Adds a few simple entries to the Win95 Registry:

    It does not modifiy any existing entry. To manually remove the GCM, simply delete the above two keys.

    2. Copies the GenCond.dll file from the work directory to your Pilot directory.

    Using the Conduit Manager

    During your next HotSync, the GCM will automatically engage, and update your PC with the data from the Pilot.

    If you wish more control over the operation of the conduit, you can control the direction of data flow by selecting options from the HotSync field on the GCM application.

    You may

    Note: If you wish to disable the conduit, there is also a checkbox at the bottom of the GCM screen which causes this conduit to be 'skipped' during a HotSync.

    Backups

    The GCM keeps several backup copies of your sync data. You can control the number of backup files through an entry on the GCM screen.

    Backups are numbered, like the old VAX system. For instance, if you were working on the DinkyPad conduit, the main data file is

    and the backups are

    This allows you to keep quite a long, ordered history of your data.

    Testing the Generic Conduit System

    On the next HotSync, have a look at the file HotSync.log.

    If everything is working properly, you should see:

    HotSync started 11/26/96 09:05:33
    Port speed is 57600 bps
    OK Address Book
    OK Date Book
    OK Memo Pad
    OK DinkyView
    OK PilotMoney
    OK To Do List
    OK Backup

    The first three will almost certainly be there. If the ToDo list entry appears, then the GCM is working properly. In between the MemoPad and ToDo entries, there is a list of generic conduit activity. In this example, I have the DinkyView and PilotMoney conduits working properly.

    If you see a line such as:

    database not found on Pilot

    then the application that the conduit expects is either not installed on the Pilot, or has no data.

    If you have any doubt about the operation of the GCM, simply run the CondMgr.exe application, and select Remove/RemoveCM from the menu.

    Adding your own conduits

    To add a conduit for any Pilot app, select Insert/InsertNewConduit from the menu.

    Fields

    Conduit Name
    This name appears in the selection list box on the left
    Module Name
    is not used
    Full Module Path
    is not used
    Data File Name
    is the name of the data file on the PC
    Data Directory
    is the directory for the above file. This directory will be below your user-name. For example, on my machine, the example data file will be d:\Pilot\BeirneP\cBasView\cbasvw.dat
    Number of Backups
    Every time the GCM writes data to the PC, it makes a backup of the previous data. You can select how many backups to keep.
    Creator Key
    This is the 4 character key that must match up with the creator key on the Pilot. See the Stinger web site for a list of creator keys. This is case sensitive
    Pilot DB Name
    This is the data base name that must match up with the database name on the Pilot. See the Stinger web site for a list of database names.
    Sync Dir
    This controls the direction for default HotSync data flow.
    Next Sync Dir
    This controls the direction for the next HotSync only. After a successful HotSync, this field is cleared, and the default SyncDir is used.
    Notify App Service
    The GCM notifies all the applications on the PC when a HotSync occurs. It uses the Windows DDE protocol. If you wish, you can insert a DDE/ServiceItem string here, and any app that uses this DDE/ServiceItem will be notified before and after the HotSync.
    Notify App Topic
    This string works as a modifier to the above string
    App Registry #
    Each generic conduit has a unique number, such as ApplicationGC0 or ApplicationGC1. Normally, these numbers are assigned automatically, but you can over-ride them manually, here. This field is usually write protected, but you can unlock that by a control-click on the label (not the text field).
    Disabled
    Simply causes this conduit to be skipped during a HotSync. Not very useful.