Calendar Background Image Tool 1.1

Overview

When I got my Tungsten T3 I noticed that the new Calendar application had a replaceable background image on it's today view. How to change it I did not know, but since I had seen slightly different backgrounds on T3 and E, it should be possible.

And now, fast forward to the present, I found the T3AgendaBG application that can manage different backgrounds and DIA skins. It also contained the required information on how to create new backgrounds. Great! But going through all the manual steps to converting an image into a background was a bit of a hassle. So, I created this program instead.

This tool is compatible with T3AgendaBG, that can be found here. But it is not needed for changing background images, it simply makes it a bit easier.

Features

Converts images without the need for additional tools.

Loads several image formats (BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG).

Preview of converted image.

Provides basic image adjustments for better end result.

Can mask unused areas of the image for better compression.

Works with or without T3AgendaBG.

It's FREE!

Legal Notes

All rights except those explicitly defined in the following paragraphs are reserved.

You have the right to use this program for non-profit purposes without any obligations.
If used in profit purposes you are required to add me to your credits and notify me.
You do not have the right to modify this program in any way, sell it or claim it as your own.

This program is provided AS IS and I take no responsibility for the use of this program and the files it may produce or any damage it may cause to you or anyone else, use at your own risk.

System Requirements

A Palm Tungsten T3 or E (or any other Palm device with the new Calendar? Not Zire 72 though.)

Windows 2000/XP. Not tested with older versions, should work though.

A fast computer is a plus, I don't know how fast the image conversion will be on slower machines.

History

1.1

Added visual guides to show what will be visible and where.

Added support for target display size, TE/T3/Both.

Smarter scaling of images that don't have the right size depending on target display.

Changed background rendering trigger when using keys or the mouse on sliders.

Rewrote thread synchronization, fixing a deadlock problem.

Added *.jpeg extension to file list since *.jpg isn't always used.

1.0

Initial release.

How to convert an image:

Here is a step by step guide on how to use the program, it should be quite easy.

1. Prepare the image.

The image should preferably have an equal width and height and be 480x480 in size.
If the image is not exactly 480x480 it will be scaled (retaining aspect ratio) according to target display size.
Also note that the image will be converted to 256 colors using a fixed Palm specific palette.

2. Start the Calendar Background Image Tool.
3. Select target display size (T3/TE/Both), this will affect how the image is scaled after it's loaded.
4. Click on the "Load Image" button and select your image.
5. A preview image is automatically created with the current image adjustment settings, this might take a few seconds on slower machines.
6. Adjust the Gamma, Brightness and Contrast settings if needed.

Personally I prefer to have a very bright background image, since it makes it easier to read the text that is displayed in the Today view.
In order to improve quality these adjustments are applied before converting to 256 colors.
The preview image will be updated shortly after the settings have been altered.

7. Check the "Mask Invisible Areas".

There is no reason for not checking this. If the areas that will never be visible are masked, the image will be easier to compress, resulting in a smaller file.
How the image is masked depends on the selected target display size.
With a display target set to T3/Both, you will see that the lower 32 pixels are masked white since those pixels are covered by the toolbar, the same is true for the right edge 32 pixels when in landscape rotation. And the lower right edge will never be visible in any rotation.

8. To get a better understanding of the end result, check the "Show Guides" checkbox.

This will draw one or more boxes on top of the image along with a short label identifying that part of the display.
If the target display is T3/Both there will be two smaller boxes indicating the surface used by the collapsible DIA and what will be visible in landscape mode.

9. Enter a title for the converted image.

The title will be used for building a filename according to T3Agenda name rules.

10. Click the "Generate" button and wait for the program to convert the image.

The generated file will be saved in the same folder as the loaded image.
The name of the generated file is somewhat different depending on if T3AgendaBG checkbox was ticked or not.
How to install this file depends on if T3AgendaBG is used or not.

How to use the background image:

Depending on if you are using T3AgendaBG or not, the background installation is slightly different.

Using T3AgendaBG:

Simply hotsync the generated file and use T3AgendaBG to switch backgrounds.

Not using T3AgendaBG:

You can only have one background image installed, select one generated file and hotsync it.
The background will be used instantly, this switch MAY crash the device and prompt for a soft reset, but I have not experienced any data loss or problems from this.
Uninstalling the background is a bit more tricky! You will need a file viewer, such as FileZ.
- Start the file viewer and locate "DatebookAgendaBG-PDat" in RAM memory.
- There should also be a file with the same name in ROM, if your file viewer is capable of messing with ROM files, DON'T remove this one!
- Remove the file located in RAM, your device will now use the version located in ROM instead, which is the old background image.

That's it! Your done! Enjoy!