Documentation
Updating from JFile 5 to JFile 5.5:
Users of JFile 5 can install JFile 5.5 right over top of their JFile 5 version. Because of some of the new field types and options – if you use various 3rd party utilities for JFile on the PC or Mac side, you will want to first find out if the utility has been updated to handle the new features of JFile 5.5.
Updating From JFile 4 to JFile 5.5:
JFile 4 and JFile 5 can be on the device at the same time. If you decide to continue to use JFile 5, after converting all your older databases, you can then delete the older JFile 4 version from the device.
To convert your existing older JFile .pdb files into JFile 5 format, install the .pdb file(s) to the Palm device (or if they are already on the PalmOS device) and upon launching JFile 5, you will be asked if you’d like to convert the databases automatically for you into the latest format.
Updating From JFile 3 to JFile 5.5:
Installing JFile 5 will overwrite JFile 3 on your device. It will also ask if you would like your older databases converted into the new format during your first launch of JFile 5.
To Third Party utility users with JFile version 5.5:
If you are using any of the numerous third party utilities to help access your JFile databases on the PC or Mac, please see the following web page for update information:
http://www.land-j.com/jfileu.html
NOTE: Because of the new structure of JFile 5.5 databases, you will need to insure that any third party utility that you use has the ability to handle JFile 5.5 databases.
FMSync Users Note:
FMSync users will need to keep track of the FMSync web site at www.fmsync.com for up to date information on the latest FMSync product updates.
- 200 databases (1 in the demonstration version)
- 20 character maximum for field names
- 50 fields maximum per databases
- 10,000 characters per field of data
- 16,000 records per database
JFile 5.5 is a flat-file database application for the PalmOS.
There are 4 primary ‘views’ in JFile 5.5: The ‘Main’ view, the ‘New/Modify Database Structure’ view, the ‘Database’ view, and the ‘Record’ view. A summary of each of these views is presented here, with an in-depth explanation presented later in this documentation file.
Main View: This is the view that shows you a list of all the JFile 5 databases that are currently installed on the Palm device.
New/Modify Database Structure View: This is the view when you are creating a new database, or modifying the structure of an existing database. Here is where you set the field names, the field types, the database name, and other elements of the database structure.
Database View: This is the view you are presented with when you tap on a database name from the ‘Main View’. This is a spreadsheet-like view all of the records in the database, with one record displayed per line, and you have the ability to scroll through the fields in a left/right manner.
Record View: This is the view you receive when you tap a specific record from the ‘Database View’. The full contents of the records data are displayed on the screen in a format such that the field names are on the left side of the screen, and the field data is on the right side of the screen. This is the primary location to do editing to the data.
You can change the current method of security for each database by tapping the ‘lock’ icon of the database on the main screen – the different ‘lock’ icon representations are explained below.
There are three levels of security for your databases in JFile.
1) The first level is the green/open lock - at this level the database contains no security, any user accessing the device can view and edit your database.
2) The second level is the orange/grey closed lock. The database is protected by the Security application's password (if it is set). To access this database, you will need to provide the password set in the Security application. This security level is suitable for handing the Palm temporarily to a colleague so they won't have easy access to the database, but the information is not encrypted in any way.
3) The third level is the red/dark closed lock. You will choose an encryption password for this database. The entire database will be encrypted, and you MUST remember the password to access the database. Due to the encryption, certain operations within the database will be slower. Also, you will need to insure that any PC/Mac side utilities that you use with JFile support the encryption method.
The encryption currently used in JFile is a 64-bit Blowfish algorithm. See http://www.counterpane.com/blowfish.html for full information on the security of this algorithm. This level of encryption qualifies for NLR (No License Required) U.S. Customs export availability.
The main area of the database view is the listing of JFile 5.5 databases that you have on the Palm unit. The table contains 5 ‘columns’:
The first column is an’ I’ icon, standing for information. Tapping this will popup a dialog box with the given databases details and preferences.
The second column is that name of the database itself. Tapping on this column will launch the database in normal mode where editing is permitted.
The third column is the number of records currently in the database.
The fourth column is the current security/encryption setting of the database (see the Security/Encryption area of this documentation for further details)
The fifth column is the current location of the database (a ‘chip’ icon denotes the database is in RAM, a ‘card-like’ icon denotes the database is in a VFS compatible memory card). See the section of this documentation on VFS Compatible Memory Card Usage for more information.
To create a new database, tap the 'New DB' button. You will be taken to the New/Modify Database View, where you can set up or make changes to the databases field names, field types, and the database name itself. Further details on this is contained in the section on the New/Modify Database View.
While on the main view screen, tap on the title of the database you would like to view. A new screen comes up, with the title indicating which database you are in. For a new database you will see only the column/field headings. See the ‘Database View’ section of this documentation for more information on this.
To delete a database from the Palm unit, tap the square ‘Trashcan’ icon at the bottom right hand side of this screen, then tap on the name of the database you wish to delete. A confirmation message will be displayed, and then the database will be removed from the Palm unit.
To beam a database from one Palm unit to another, tap the square ‘Beam’ button at the bottom of the screen, then tap on the name of the database you wish to beam. Point the two Palm unit’s Infrared ports at one another, and the beaming will commence, with a verification message given at the end of the procedure. Note that the Palm unit you beam the database to must also have JFile 5 installed to be able to view the database.
To create a duplicate database structure of an existing database in JFile, you can use the Clone button. Select the ‘Clone’ button at the bottom of this screen, and tap the database you would like to ‘Clone’. A new database will be made with the text ‘clone’ appended to the name to signify the new database. The database will have all the structural details of the original database (ie. Field types, popup list entries, default values, etc), but will be a new database with 0 records.
To modify an existing database’s field names, field types, or database name itself, tap the square ‘Modify’ button at the bottom of this screen, and the tap the name of the database you wish to modify. You will then be taken to the Modify Database Structure View. Further details on modifying a database are given later in this documentation.
JFile 5 databases can be categorized. In the upper right section of the screen is a category popup list, similar to the one on the normal Palm applications. Using it, you can display a subset of the databases that are only in a particular category. You can set each database’s category via the ‘DB Prefs’ menu option, or the ‘I’ (information) icon on the main screen of JFile 5.
While in this screen, and most of the others in JFile 5, there is a menu option available for changing your application preferences, listed as ‘App Prefs’ in the JFile 5 menu. This will bring up a dialog box with a number of preferences that you can set:
Checking this option will allow usage of the ‘Address Book’ and ‘Todo List’ hardware buttons on the Palm unit to also act as the left/right scroll arrows on the various screens in JFile 5, which is sometimes easier than trying to select the smaller on-screen left and right scroll arrows. Also, the DateBook and MemoPad buttons can be used to ‘scroll completely left’ or ‘scroll completely right’ respectively. Unchecking this button will return the hardware buttons to their normal assignment of launching the respective application. Hardware buttons on the ‘Main’ screen of JFile can be used to scroll through the various categories.
In cases where you are viewing a read-only database, JFile 5 will normally switch to a view only mode to display individual records. This mode looks similar to the AddressBook view mode. If you prefer to view your read-only databases in the normal JFile 5, where all field names are in a left hand column, and field data is always in the right hand column, check this option.
Checking this preference will require an extra ‘Are you sure’ dialog box before deleting a database or record, to help prevent accidental deletions.
Checking this box will turn on auto-capitalization in most fields in JFile 5 so that when you begin to edit a new field, the first character entered is capitalized by default.
This preference, if checked, will allow you to edit certain fields in JFile 5 in the Database View, instead of having to go completely into the Record View. This works on the field types of PopupList, Date, Time, and Boolean. This makes it very easy to check or uncheck a Boolean (checkbox) field when you are viewing all the records in a JFile database for instance, without having to first select the individual record, and then checking or unchecking the box.
This option, if checked, will exclude JFile 5 from the normal PalmOS ‘Find’ operation (to the right of the Graffiti input area). This is useful if you have very large databases in JFile 5, and do not wish to slow down the normal Palm ‘Find’ routines by searching through the JFile 5 databases as well. This option does not affect the internal JFile 5 search, filter, or find routines.
This option, if checked, will revert to using only digit for years when entering a date field via a date picker dialog box (ie. 10/12/01, instead of 10/12/2001)
This option, if checked, will right align numeric field types such as integer, floating point numbers, and dates. This affects the display in the Show Database spreadsheet-style view only.
This option, if checked, will right align the labels in the edit record view of JFile 5.
This option, if checked, will right align numeric field types in the record editing view of JFile 5.
This option, if checked, will add some additional colorization (or grey-scales) to certain screens of JFile, such as the Show Database view will have its columns defined a bit further by alternating background colors.
This option holds the place where you are when viewing the db, even if you edit a single record, returning to the records list screen will return to the location you were last at. (Normal behaivor is to place the last edited record at the topmost position of the list)
This option can be set by those who never use a conduit with JFile – it can compact memory a bit by completely removing deleted JFile records.
This menu option allows you to pick which font you want to use throughout most of the screens in JFile 5. If you are on a high-resolution PalmOS 5 or higher device, additional smaller font choices will become available, permitting a larger amount of data to be displayed on each screen.
To create a new database, tap the 'New DB' button. Enter the name of the database at the top of the screen, which can be up to 30 characters in length. The next step is to select the field names for each record and the field types.
The field names can be up to 20 characters each in length, and must be continuous on the ‘New Database’ screen, JFile 5 will not permit you to leave an ‘unnamed’ field in the list of field names.
You may choose a different Field Type for each field. To the right of the field type column, you will see a ‘?’ for certain field types. Tapping this will allow you to choose among variations of that particular field types. The field types are listed below:
String: this is the ‘normal’ field type allowing strings of up to 4000 characters to be entered in the field list. For very long text fields, easy editing and viewing of the field is possible by clicking on the field name in the record view. This will cause a popup edit box to appear that will allow complete and easy access to the string field’s data.
OPTION: Default Value: you can enter up to 80 characters that will be placed in this field as a default value whenever a new record is created in JFile.
OPTION: Always less than 250 characters – if checked, this permits certain operations in JFile and utility applications to be more efficient, but it does restrict the field to 250 characters.
OPTION: Read Only Field – if checked, this field will be non-editable in JFile.
OPTION: Capitalize All Words – will reformat a string to automatically capitalize all the words of the field whenever the field is edited.
Bool: this is the Boolean type of field type, and
will appear in your databases as a checkbox that is either checked or
unchecked. NOTE: You can ‘filter’ on Boolean fields using either a 0 or a 1
as the filter string.
Date: this is the Date type of field type, and will popup a Date picking dialog box when you click on the name of the field:
OPTION: Normal Date – a date field that is initially blank.
OPTION: Creation Date – a date field that automatically fills in the date the record was created
OPTION: Modification Date – a date field that updates each time the record is modified
OPTION: Read Only Field – if checked, this field will be non-editable in JFile.
OPTION: Use International Format – if checked, this field will format itself in the following way: ‘dd mmm yyyy’, such as ’02 Mar 1998’
Time: this is the Time type of field type, and will popup a Time picking dialog box when you click on the name of the field
OPTION: Normal Time – a time field that is initially blank
OPTION: Creation Time – a time field that automatically fills in the time the record was created
OPTION: Modification Time – a time field that updates each time the record is modified
OPTION: Read Only Field – if checked, this field will be non-editable in JFile.
Popup: this is a Popup List field type. You can define the contents of the popup list once you are in the editing view of the database itself. Popup lists are not intended to be used for very long lists of data. There are limitations in JFile 5 that limit each Popup List to 100 items, and each list is limited to approximately 2000 characters of data
OPTION: Default Value: you can enter up to 25 characters that will be placed in this field as a default value whenever a new record is created in JFile.
OPTION: Normal Popup – the data for the field is completely replaced with the text from the popup choice
OPTION: Multiple Popup items per line – the popup text is appended to the data on the line, with a space separating the new popup choice.
OPTION: Read Only Field – if checked, this field will be non-editable in JFile.
OPTION: Lookup type – this field type will look up the values for the popup list from a specific field in the records of a different database. This is a new feature in JFile 5.5, and allows you to store longer popup lists this way by simply creating a different database with the popup list contents.
Int: this is the Integer field type. Sorting on this field will be valid for integers up to approximately 9 digits in length.
OPTION: Default Value: you can enter up to 9 digits that will be placed in this field as a default value whenever a new record is created in JFile.
OPTION: Normal Integer – a normal integer field that is initially blank
OPTION: Auto-Increment Integer – a integer field that automatically fills in with the value of the ‘Starting Number’, and then each time a new record is created, the counter is bumped up (or down for negative numbers) by the amount of the ‘Increment Amount’.
OPTION: Read Only Field – if checked, this field will be non-editable in JFile.
Float: this is the Floating Point field type. Sorting on this field will be valid for integers up to approximately 9 digits in length.
OPTION: Default Value: you can enter up to 9 digits that will be placed in this field as a default value whenever a new record is created in JFile.
OPTION: Read Only Field – if checked, this field will be non-editable in JFile.
Calculated Field: this is the Calculated Value field type. You can choose from 3 different styles of calculated values by selected the top drop list – the 3 types are:
<field> <operation> <field> - example: field 1 + field 3
<field> <operation> <value> - example field 1 + 5
<value> <operation> <field> - example 8.2 – field 4
After you select which of the above type of calculations you
wish to perform for this field, the next three drop lists/fields allow you to
set up the calculation itself. For
fields, you select which field to use from the drop list. For values, you can enter a numeric number
that will be used in the calculation.
The four operations available to you are addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and devision.
New in JFile 5.5 is the ability to use “Previous Record” values for calculations, this will allow for easy creation of running totals for calculated records. For instance, if you are creating a checkbook register database, you could create field Balance, where Balance is a calculated field with the Previous Records Balance + the current records item amount.
OPTION: Number of decimal places – you can choose from 5 different settings for default number of decimal places to use for the calculated value – variable, 0, 1, 2, or 3 decimal places.
NOTE: You can chain multiple calculation fields together to process more complex equations, however, you must be sure not to create an infinite loop calculation (JFile will alert you if it detects such a calculation).
You can change the names of fields, their Field Types, as well as the database name after the database has been created. You can also add, delete, and exchange fields in the database structure. To modify a database in this way, go to the Main view in JFile 5, tap the ‘Modify’ button, which will become highlighted, and then select the database you wish to modify.
From this screen you can Insert (Ins. button) a field, Delete (Del. button) a field, or Exchange (Exch. button) 2 fields in the database structure. Note that on large databases some of these operations may take a while to complete.
Similarly you can change the types of Fields in this screen. Note however that if you change from non-compatible field types, you will have a loss of data. Example: you have a field with a string type with a lot of text in each record in that particular field. If you switch that to a Boolean type of field, you will lose each of those strings, and the field will be reset to allow input of a Boolean/Checkbox type of input.
At the bottom of this screen are a series of buttons and icons:
Done button – this button will return you to the Database List screen and close the current database
Add button – this button will create a new record in the database, and take you to the Record Edit screen
Magnifying Glass icon – this icon when tapped will launch the ‘Find’ dialog screen (explained below)
Plus icon – this icon when tapped will perform a ‘Find Next’ operation, described below.
List type icon – this icon when tapped will display a popup list, allowing you to set the criteria for a Sort operation, or allow you to quickly perform a named sort that you have previously saved (described below)
Funnel icon – this icon when tapped will display a popup list, allowing you to Remove the current filter, Define a Filter, Define an Advanced Filter, or quickly perform a named Filter that you have previously saved (described below).
Trash can icon – you can tap this icon (it will invert) and select a record on the screen to delete that record from the database.
At the top of the screen are two double-arrow icons. Tapping them will allow you to move quickly to the end of the database or the top of the database.
The Database Prefs menu option will bring up the Database Preferences dialog box – you can also bring up this dialog box via the ‘I’ icon on the Main View screen next to each database name. From here you can modify certain features of each particular database:
Category: this is a popup list from which you can choose the category to assign this database.
Backup Database at HotSync: this box, if checked, will backup the database .pdb file to your Palm backup directory on the PC at each HotSync. Note that certain backup utility applications may override this value.
Make this database read-only: this box if checked will make the database a read-only database. No changes to data, addition or deletion of records will be allowed on this database while this box is checked.
Maintain last sort: if checked, JFile will attempt to maintain the sorting of the database records according to your last selected Sort operation in JFile.
While viewing a database, you can tap on any of the column headings to sort the database by that particular column/field – tapping the column heading will bring up a list of options, with Sort Normal and Sort Reverse available for each column (field) of the database. A menu option to sort the database with secondary and tertiary sort fields is also available.
While on the main view screen, tap on the title of the database you would like to view. A new screen comes up, with the title indicating which database you are in. For a new database you will see only the column/field headings.
As the number of records in your database grows, you'll find yourself scrolling down the list of records. Keep in mind that in addition to the software "line at a time" up/down arrow buttons provided by JFile 5, you can also use the hardware "scroll" buttons provided on your unit (just below the data entry area) to move JFile 5 data up and down a full page at a time.
JFile 5 supports column totals. You can click on a column title (ie. the field name), and you will be presented with a list of options, one of which is ‘Column Totals’. By clicking on this, you will see the totals for that particular column. For integers and floating point numbers, the total will show the number of records and the total of the numbers. For checkbox/boolean type fields, this will show you the number of checked vs. unchecked boxes. All other field types will show you the number of records in the display.
NOTE: The totals are based on the current filter, so that if you have a filter on that is showing 20 out of 40 total records, the totals will be based only on those 20 records in the filter.
In the database columns view, tapping the column heading will present a drop list with one of the choices being to ‘Set Column Width’. When tapped, a vertical line will appear on the right side of the column you are setting the width for. By clicking on the line and dragging it to the left or right, you can modify the width of that column that is displayed. A number at the top of the screen appears to give you a indication of the number of pixels that are used to display the column.
Note that it is possible to set a column to be ‘invisible’ by setting its width to be 0 (or a very small number that will not allow any text to be displayed). To set a column back to visible after it has been made ‘invisible’, tap the menu option for ‘Show ‘Hidden’ Columns’ and all columns smaller than 10 pixels wide will be modified to display at 40 pixel column widths.
New to JFile 5.5 is the ability to directly set a column to be ‘Invisible’ via the ‘Hide Column’ option from this drop list. It performs the action of setting the column width to 0 pixels wide.
In the database view, tapping the column heading will present a drop list with one of the choices being ‘Lock Column To Screen’. By selecting this option, JFile will keep this particular column on-screen throughout any left/right scrolling you may do over the database. You can select multiple columns to be locked to the screen by performing this routine on each desired column. To reverse the process, you can ‘unlock’ a locked column by selecting the ‘Unlock Column From Screen’ option.
JFile 5.5 now allows you to check or uncheck all the checkboxes of a particular field in database. If you click on the column heading of a checkbox/Boolean field, you will see options for ‘Check all boxes’, and ‘Uncheck all boxes’. This function will only affect those records in the current filter (or all records if you have no filter applied).
Horizontal scroll buttons are at the top right of the Database View. Note that if you have the App Prefs feature checked for this (described above in the documentation) then the AddressBook and TodoList buttons also simulate the tapping of the left/right arrows at the top of the screen.
You can filter records in the database so that only records containing a particular string of characters is shown. To accomplish this, select the Menu option in this screen for ‘Filter Records’, which is under the ‘DB’ Menu. A dialog box with a number of options is presented:
Field To Search: This is allows you to choose which fields you would like to perform the filter operation on, so that that string must occur in a specific field to match the filter criteria.
Filter String: This field is where you input the string of characters you wish to filter on, as an example, a filter string of ‘apple’ would filter all records in the database that contain the word ‘apple’ in them.
Fields Must Begin: This checkbox allows you to search for records that must begin with the search string. As an example, if ‘apple’ was the search string, then ‘apple a day’ would be filtered, while ‘where is the apple’ would not be filtered.
This is an ‘exclude’ filter: This checkbox reverses the operation of the filter, so that only records NOT matching the filter string are displayed.
After you have selected your filter options, pressing the ‘Filter’ button will begin the sort process. A ‘wait’ message will be displayed to begin the filtering process. And you will be returned to the Database View with only those records matching the filter string displayed. Moving through the records while viewing a filtered list may take a longer time that moving through records on an unfiltered list.
To remove a filter that is currently on the database, you may either select the menu option for ‘Show All Records’, or you may go back into the Filter Records screen, and tap the ‘Remove Filter’ button.
Another option in JFile 5 is the Advanced Filter menu option. This is intended to be used by those already familiar with the normal Filter screen in JFile 5. Because of its advanced nature, and in an effort to squeeze as much data onto the screen, it may be necessary to refer to this section before and during use of the Advanced Filter screen, until you become accustomed to the interface.
There are 5 filter specifications available on this screen, each one similar in usage as the primary Filter method in JFile 5. The underlined line next to the number is the filter string itself, which you wish to search for. Above this line is a drop box to pick which field (or all fields) that this filter string should be applied to. To the right of the underlined area are two boxes – the ‘B’ box is checked will activate a ‘Field must BEGIN with’ specification for that filter string, and the ‘!’ box if checked acts as a ‘exclude’ filter (also known as a logical NOT). Up to this point, if just using these, the usage is the same as a normal JFile 5 filter.
In between the filter strings though are two boxes – one AND box and one OR box – to let you decide if you want the specifications to require both (AND) or either (OR). As an example if filter 1 string was ‘book’ and filter 2 string was ‘mark’, and you had the AND box checked, it would look for only those records that possessed both ‘book’ AND ‘mark’ in the field’s text. Conversely if OR was checked, then all records containing either ‘book’ OR ‘mark’ in the field text would be filtered. When using more than two field specifications, these AND/OR operators are applied in a top to bottom (left to right if going from field specification 1…5) order. As in the following parenthetical function: RESULT = (((((1 AND/OR 2) AND/OR 3) AND/OR 4) AND/OR 5)
Ranges – also available only in this advanced filter screen are ranged filters. These are activated by placing a greater than or less than sign in front of the filter string. As an example if you want to find all records with integer greater than 4500, the string would be ‘>4500’. Note that ranges are only available for field types that are integer, floating point, calculation, or date formats, and that the associated field must be a single field (not the ‘All Fields’ selection.)
NOTES – The filter selection criteria for this screen is not saved from invocation to invocation.
Besides the normal sorting option in JFile 5, you can also perform a more advanced sort, by selecting the ‘Sort Items’ menu option. Adialog box will be presented that will allow you to choose up to 3 fields to sort on, each having an independent ability to sort normally or in reverse fashion.
If you are looking for a particular record in JFile 5, you may search for it via the ‘Find’ button at the bottom of the Database View. You will be presented with a dialog box with a number of options:
Field To Search: This is allows you to choose which fields you would like to perform the filter operation on, so that that string must occur in a specific field to match the filter criteria.
Find String: This field is where you input the string of characters you wish to filter on, as an example, a filter string of ‘apple’ would find records in the database that contain the word ‘apple’ in them.
Fields Must Begin: This checkbox allows you to search for records that must begin with the search string. As an example, if ‘apple’ was the search string, then ‘apple a day’ would be found, while ‘where is the apple’ would not be found.
The ‘Find’ operation in JFile 5 differs from the Filter operation in that a Filter will ONLY show those records that match the Filter string. A ‘Find’ on the other hand will move the first record that matches the Find criteria to the top of the Database View screen. The ‘+’ button next to the ‘Find’ button at the bottom of the screen will perform a Find Next function, that will then move the next record matching the Find criteria to the top of the screen.
To delete a record in the database, tap the square Trashcan button at the bottom of the screen. The button will then invert in color. Then tap on the record you wish to delete. A confirmation dialog box will appear, and then the record will be removed from the database.
To add a new record to the database, tap the ‘Add’ button at the bottom of the screen. This will create a new record in JFile 5, and take you to the Record Level view in JFile 5, detailed further below.
For databases that contain more than 10 records, scroll bars appear on the right side of the JFile 5 screen. You can use them to scroll quickly through the database records. Alternative, the up and down hardware buttons at the bottom of the Palm unit may be used to scroll through the records a screen up or down at a time.
Basic support for printing of JFile 5 databases to infrared and serial printing devices (parallel too, with an appropriate cable) is available through the PalmPrint application from Stevens Creek Software (www.stevenscreek.com) . Note that you must have PalmPrint installed on the Palm unit to take advantage of this. To print the database, select the menu option of ‘Print Records’. If a filter is activated, only those records in the current filter will print. The records will be printed in Comma Separated Value text style with each record on a new line, and each field separated by a comma.
In JFile 5.5, a new icon is present at the bottom of the screen that looks like a filing cabinet. Tapping this icon will bring up a list of other JFile databases. You can select one from the list to quickly switch to that database, allowing for easy jumping back and forth between databases.
There is a menu option of ‘Export Record Set’. When activated, this will create a new memo in the MemoPad application with the contents of the records in the current view as the memo itself. Note that due to limitation in the Memopad application, each memo is limited to 4000 characters, and as a result, a record set that is exported must also be under this 4000 character limit, or it will be truncated to that length.
While viewing the database, a menu option for “Global Text Replace” is available in the Tools menu. Using this feature, you can globally replace one string of text with another string of text in all records of the database – you can also limit the replacement on a specific field as well). Simply enter the text you want to replace, along with the text to replace it, in the dialog box, click ‘OK’, and the replacement will be performed. You will be told how many occurrences of the text were replaced.
When viewing a record in JFile 5 (if the database is not read-only), you can edit any of the data in each field by selecting the underlined field, and then begin entering data via the normal Graffiti keystrokes.
Some field types has certain other methods available to edit the data of the record:
String Fields: string fields may also be editing in a separate dialog box, especially useful for large amounts of characters in the field, by tapping on the field name on the left hand side of the screen.
Popup Lists: you can edit popup lists fields by manually entering the data into the field, or if you select the field name, the popup list itself will be shown to choose a selection from.
Date Fields: you can edit date fields by manually entering the date via graffiti strokes, or by tapping on the field name to bring up a dialog box with the date picker.
Time Fields: you can edit time fields by manually entering the time via graffiti strokes, or by tapping on the field name to bring up a dialog box with the time picker.
Boolean Fields: boolean fields (checkboxes) can only have two states, checked or unchecked, and clicking on the box will change the state from one to the other.
If you have a lot of data in one field (more than 200 characters usually), and it spills of the screen, JFile 5 allows you to view and edit the entire field by tapping on the field name (the left column). You will be presented with a dialog box that allows easy viewing and editing of the larger text fields.
While viewing a record, tap the 'New' button. A new record will be created and you will be presented with a form showing the field names, and space to enter your data. When finished editing your data, tap 'Done' to save the changes, 'Cancel' to cancel them, or the Trashcan icon if you wish to delete the record from the database.
While editing a record, you can use the Menu options ‘Change Data Width’ to increase or decrease the amount of space allotted to the data fields. Similar to changing column widths in the Database View, a vertical line will appear, which you can move left or right with the stylus to either expand or shrink the amount of space given to the field data.
There is a menu option of ‘Export to Memopad’. When activated, this will create a new memo in the MemoPad application with the contents of the record as the memo itself. Note that due to limitation in the Memopad application, each memo is limited to 4000 characters, and as a result, a record that is exported must also be under this 4000 character limit.
Basic support for printing of JFile 5 individual records to infrared and serial printing devices (parallel too, with an appropriate cable) is available through the PalmPrint application from Stevens Creek Software (www.stevenscreek.com) . Note that you must have PalmPrint installed on the Palm unit to take advantage of this. To print the record, select the menu option of ‘Print This Record’.
To make a duplicate copy of a record in the database, select the ‘Duplicate Record’ menu option. This will save the current record, and create an exact duplicate of that record to the database.
In JFile 5.5, a new icon is present at the bottom of the screen that looks like a filing cabinet. Tapping this icon will bring up a list of other JFile databases. You can select one from the list to quickly switch to that database, allowing for easy jumping back and forth between databases.
JFile 5.5 now allows you to copy and paste full records from the PalmOS clipboard. The records should have the same number of fields for this operation to execute successfully. To do this, there are entries in the Edit menu for “Copy Record” and “Paste Record”.
While viewing an individual record, you may move forward and backward through the records in the database in one of two ways. You can tap the left/right arrows at the top right hand corner of the screen to move either to the previous or next record. Alternatively you may also use the hardware up/down buttons to move to the previous or next record.
JFile 5 supports database storage on VFS compatible memory cards, such as the Handera 330 compact flash and SD cards, Palm M500/M505 SD cards, and Sony Clie MemoryStick cards. The fifth column of the Database List screen displays the location of each database, whether it is in RAM (a chip icon), or on a VFS storage card (a card icon). You can move the database back and forth between RAM and the storage card simply by clicking on the icon (larger databases can take a longer time to move).
Files on a VFS storage card cannot be directly viewed or edited due to the very different memory structure associated with such cards. However, as a shortcut, if you do attempt to open a JFile database that is on a VFS memory card, JFile will temporarily move the file to RAM while you view/edit it, and move it back to VFS storage when you close the database. Again though, this movement process is time dependent on the size of the database itself.
NOTE: Because the HotSync backup conduit does not ‘see’ the files you may have on the VFS card, any JFile databases you place on the VFS memory card will not be backed up to your hard drive.
We are currently researching the possibility to include enhanced direct access of JFile database on VFS storage cards (ie. Without the need for movement to RAM and back) for a future version of JFile.
JFile 5 supports the high resolution mode of the Handera devices, allowing the user to choose any of the available 8 font sizes, and increase the amount of data that can be displayed on screen at once.
Additionally, you can select the screen orientation in JFile on these devices by entering a graffiti ‘l’ (el) character from the Database List view, and you will be given a choice of the 4 different portrait or landscape orientations available on the device.
JFile 5 also supports the minimization of the graffiti-area, by expanding the available data area in JFile 5 when the graffiti entry area is minimized.
JFile 5 supports the JogDial on known devices released to date. Users can use the JogDial to scroll in JFile, to select records or fields, and to do basic navigation of the user interface.
Keyboard support is greatly expanded in JFile 5, allowing you to navigate a majority of the JFile user interface directly from a keyboard attached to your PalmOS device. In the Help Menu in JFile, you will find a ‘Keyboard Shortcuts’ option, which explains how to make use of the various keyboard shortcuts available in navigating JFile and editing data.
JFile 5 now includes support for Symbol barcode scanning units, including the SPT 1500, SPT 1700, and Symbol Visor Springboard barcode units.
For Symbol Barcode enabled PalmOS units, this menu option allows you to select the default behavior of the barcode scanning process.
This option will fill in the current field that is active in record edit mode when a scan is processed.
This option will create a new record when a scan is processed, and fill in the first editable field with the data received from the scan.
This option will perform a ‘Find’ operation of the current database with the data from the scan used as the Find criteria.
This option will duplicate the currently viewed record in JFile when a scan is processed, and fill in the first editable record of the new duplicated record with the scanned data. This is useful if you have a similar record you want to retain the data for use in the new record, and have the scanner fill in a specific field’s value of the duplicated record with the scanned data.
You can use JFile 5 .pdb databases in Flash ROM, in read-only mode, however you must be running the latest version of TRG's Flash Builder application. Email TRG for the latest information on this application.
You can also place the JFile 5 application itself into FlashRom.
While viewing the record list, you can graffiti in a character, and the screen will scroll to the first record whose first field’s initial character matches that character. (Example: in a sorted database of grocery items, you could enter the letter ‘g’ in the record screen, and the screen would scroll to those items beginning with ‘g’).
You can scroll a ‘full page’ in most JFile screens by using the Hardware up/down buttons, and scroll line-at-a-time by using the on-screen up/down areas or scroll bars.
You can filter on Boolean checkboxes by using a ‘1’ (checked) or ‘0’ (unchecked) as the Filter criteria for that field.
You can usa a ‘*’ character when filtering to indicate a ‘non-empty’ field – alternatively, you can use the literal ‘/*’ if you want to search for the asterisk character specifically. (Or use the NOT operator along with the ‘*’ character to filter empty fields.)
Two text fields can be used with the ‘+’ operator in a Calculated Field to create the concatenated text value being used as the result of the calculated field.
To use the new Win 95,98, ME, 2000/NT converter in normal Windows mode, double click on the jconv5.exe file,and a window with the following buttons will be displayed:
'Convert JFile 5.5 .PDB to .CSV' - click this button to select which .pdb fileto convert into a .csv file. The file created will be in the same directory as the .pdb file with a .csv suffix instead of the .pdb suffix.
'Convert JFile 5.5 .CSV to .PDB' - click this button to select which .csv file to convert into a .pdb file. The file created will be in the same directory as the .csv file with a .pdb suffix instead of the .csv suffix. You can then select this .pdb file to be installed on the next HotSync using the InstallApp tool that ships with the Palm Desktop.
Field Delimiters: you can choose whether the csv file is delimited with commas or semi-colons for non-US users.
Use/Create Info file: for conversions from .pdb->.csv format, if this box is checked an info file will also be create (with a .ifo suffix) that will save more of the parameters of the database (fields types, widths, password, etc). Then when you convert back to .pdb from .csv format, you can check this box, and it will use that .ifo file as the format for the current data base. The converter will look for an .ifo file with the same beginning file name as the .csv file but with the .ifo suffix.
Encryption Password: if the database is encrypted, you need to enter the precise password that was used to originally encrypt the file. Or, if you are encrypting a database you are creating, enter a password to use to encrypt the file, and be sure to remember it precisely.
Command Line usage examples:
For csv->JFile 5.0 use:
jconv5.exe 1 <input_file> <output_file> <database_name> <optional_info_file>
or for encrypted databases:
jconv5.exe 5 <input_file> <output_file> <database_name> <password> <optional_info_file>
Where:
<input_file> is the path and DOS filename of the .csv to convert
examples: c:\temp\test.csv or test.csv
<output_file> is the path and DOS filename of the .pdb file to create
examples: c:\temp\test.pdb or test.pdb
<database_name> is the name of the database that will appear on the Pilot
examples: TestDB or TestDatabase
<password> is the encryption password
<optional_info_file> is optional parameter, if you have an seperate
'information' file saved for the this database.
examples: c:\temp\test.ifo or test.ifo
For JFile 5.0->csv use:
Jconv5.exe 2 <input_file> <output_file> <optional_info_file>
or for encrypted databases:
jconv5.exe 6 <input_file> <output_file> <password> <optional_info_file>
<input_file> is the path and DOS filename of the .pdb to convert
examples: c:\temp\test.csv or test.csv
<output_file> is the path and DOS filename of the .csv file to create
examples: c:\temp\test.pdb or test.pdb
<password> is the encryption password
<optional_info_file> is optional parameter, if you would like to create
an 'info' file containing formatting and such from the database
examples: c:\temp\test.ifo or test.ifo
NOTE:Keep in mind that once you convert a file from csv to pdb, if you want to send it to your PalmOS unit, you will need to use the hotsync install tool, which is discussed further in the Pilot documentation. Normally, simply double-clicking on the resulting .pdb file will start the InstallApp tool to allow the file to be placed on your PalmOS unit on the next HotSync.
NOTE: if you need to use semi-colons as csv file delimiters in command line mode, you can add ‘2’ to the second parameter of each example above, example:
jconv5.exe 1 <input_file> <output_file> <database_name> <optional_info_file>
becomes
jconv5.exe 3 <input_file> <output_file> <database_name> <optional_info_file>
if you would like to use semi-colons for field separators. Same for the other 3 command line options above.
- top line is the field names, each seperated by a comma
- each following line is a record, each field seperated by a comma
The fields may be enclosed in quotes which will be removed prior to conversion to JFile .pdb format.
The following explanation may be a bit complex to read through at first, but by looking at an example when you convert from .pdb to .csv WITH an info file, you can see how it all works together.
There is also no REQUIREMENT to use or to ever modify the info file you create.
First Line: Contains only the text “JFile5” to signal that this ifo file is created for JFile 5 related .csv files.
Second Line: contains a number representing the type for each field. NOTE: there must be 1 number for each field on this line
types are as follows:
1 = string
2 = boolean
4 = date
8 = int
16 = float
32 = time
64 = popup list
65 = creation date
66 = creation time
67 = integer with increment counter
70 = calculated field with fields for both operators
71 = calculated field with first operator a non-field number
72 = calculated field with second operator a non-field number
73 = modification date
80 = modification time
81 = popup list allowing multiple popup items
example: for a database with 7 fields, of type: string, boolean, date, popup list, int, float, popup list in that order would look like:
1 2 4 64 8 16 64
Third Line: contains the width of each field when displaying in the columnal overall database view, must be 0-160 (or 0-320 on a Handera 330 machine), and contain one number for each field.
example: for a database with 7 fields each of width 80:
80 80 80 80 80 80 80
Fourth Line: contains the width of the 'data' field (in pixels) for the editing view of the database (should be in the 20 to 140 range)
example: for a database with a data width of 90 pixel:
90
Fifth Line: contains which column is displayed as the first non-locked column in the database view (range of 0 to 50 - 0 = first field, 1 = second field, etc)
example: to display the second field as the first movable column:
1
Sixth Line: contains a integer representing a series of bits for the database preferences. For a complete and updated list of these preferences, email Land-J Technologies at developer@land-j.com and request the latest developer documentation for JFile 5.5.
Seventh Line and Eighth Line: each line contains a series of digits which represent ‘extra data’ associated with each field type, such as current increment counter and increment amount for the field type of Auto-Increment. As above, please email Land-J Technologies if you are interested in an updated list of the possible values of these two lines.
Nineth Line and on...: contains the entries in the popup lists, saved sorts and filters, default values for fields, and values used in calculatated fields, each item goes on a line of its own. List of popup values are prefixed with the string "popupX" where X is the letter of the alphabet corresponding to the field number of the associated popup list (ie. a = 1, b = 2, etc...) The syntax for the other list types that may appear here are more complex – for information on the available options here, request the JFile database structure documentation from us at this email address: developer@land-j.com
example:
the following lines are an example with a popup list for field 'd' which
is the 4th field, and a popup list for field 'g' which is 7th popup field
popupd
a
bb
cc
and
here
we are
popupg
1
11
33333
4444
Be sure to follow this format if you are creating or modifying such info files manually instead of letting the jconv5.exe program handle them.
Many third party utility programs are also available to move data between JFile and a PC or JFile and Mac computer. For the latest such list of utilities, see the ‘Links’ section of the following web page: http://www.land-j.com/jfileu.html