Converter v2.2 -------------- By Matt N. Marsh Email: matt@mattmarsh.net Web: http://www.mattmarsh.net/ Contents -------- 1. Introduction 2. Installation 3. Using Converter 4. New Versions 5. Bug Reports 6. Distribution and Usage Policy 7. Categories and Types 8. History 1. Introduction --------------- Converter is a free unit conversion tool for the Palm, supporting over 200 unit types in 23 different categories. The easy to use interface allows you to specify the types you use frequently and access them easily. Convert from miles to kilometers, from pounds to kilograms and many, many other different conversions with ease. Converter is freeware so you are free to use and distribute this software without restriction as long as it is not modified in any way and the copyright notices remain in place. Converter can currently convert 215 different types in 23 different categories. For a full list of these see the 'Categories and Types' section later in this document. 2. Installation --------------- Once you have downloaded and unpacked the archive you should have a file called Converter.prc in your directory. Install this file onto your Palm device in the usual way using the 'Install Tool' or similar which comes with the Palm device. Once installed an icon with the label 'Converter' should appear in your application list. Upgrading If you are upgrading from a previous version of Converter, there is no need to remove the old version first. Simply install the new version of Converter onto your Palm device and it will overwrite the older version. If you are using version 2.0 or later of Converter then when you upgrade in this way your configured shortlist categories and types will be saved and used with the new version. 3. Using Converter ------------------ The application is simple and intuitive to use following the same basic style as many Palm applications. Pull down the box in the top right corner to choose which category to use, then select the unit type to convert from and to in the boxes on the main form. Finally enter the value you wish to convert from into the value field. Entering Values Values can be entered in a number of different ways. In most categories you can enter numbers as either: Integers - e.g. 16 Decimals - e.g. 16.0 Scientific Notation - e.g. 1.6e01 A few categories require special treatment for the entering of values as detailed below: Shoes - Values in the Shoes category must be whole numbers only and must be valid for the country selected in the 'From' list. Clothing - Like the Shoes category, values in the Clothing category also must be whole numbers and must be valid for the country selected in the 'From' list. Numbers - In the Numbers category, the valid entries for the value field will be dependant on what is selected in the 'From' list. Numbers must always be whole and valid for the particular number system when Binary, Octal, Decimal or Hexidecimal are selected. When Roman is selected, the entry must be a valid Roman number using Roman notation such as 'XXIV' (to represent 24). Switching Modes Converter can operate in two modes: shortlist mode and full mode. You can switch between the modes by tapping on the 'F' and 'S' buttons on the bottom left of the screen, the 'F' button putting you in full mode and the 'S' button putting you in shortlist mode. In full mode you have access to all the conversion types and categories in the Converter app, in shortlist mode you are presented with a user-definable shortened list. Defining Shortlist Types By defining the types available in shortlist mode you can configure Converter so that the conversion types which you frequently use are readily available and easy to navigate between. Selecting 'Edit Shortlist...' from the 'Options' menu presents you with a dialog box from which you can configure your shortlist. You can use the 'Category' pulldown to select which category you want to configure then you can see two lists: the one on the left contains the full list of types within the category and the one on the right shows the types which are currently available in that category when in shortlist mode. To add a type to shortlist mode, select the type in the full list on the left and hit the 'Add' button. To remove a type from the shortlist mode, select the type from the shortlist on the right and hit the remove button. If you remove all the types from the shortlist of a particular category, that category will no longer show up when using the shortlist mode. Of course it will still be available in full mode. 4. New Versions --------------- The newest version of Converter will always be available from my website: http://www.mattmarsh.net/computing/converter.shtml so check back there from time to time to look out for updates. Also from the same web page you can submit your email address so that you will be automatically sent an email when new versions become available. 5. Bug Reports -------------- This is the first program which I've written for the Palm Pilot so there could well be plenty of bugs hiding in there somewhere... If you find any faults in either the application itself or its documentation then I would be really grateful if you could report them to me by email at matt@mattmarsh.net. If you could include the version number of the program you are running (this can be found from the 'About' dialog box) then that would also be helpful. 6. Distribution and Usage Policy -------------------------------- You are permitted to use this program free of charge. You may also distribute it in any way and may even charge for it's distribution if you wish, however you must not modify the software and all copyright notices must remain in tact. You must obtain written permission for use or distribution other than detailed here. BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. 7. Categories and Types ----------------------- The currently supported categories and types are listed below, if there are any others that you would like to see added, feel free to contact me at matt@mattmarsh.net. - ACCELERATION - LINEAR cm/sec^2, in/sec^2, kph/sec, ft/sec^2, mph/sec, m/sec^2 - ANGLE seconds, minutes, grades, degrees, radians, quadrants, right angles, rounds - AREA millimetres^2, centimetres^2, inches^2, feet^2, yards^2, metres^2, acres hectares, kilometres^2, miles^2 - CLOTHING USA, European, UK, Japanese - COMPUTER bits, nibbles, bytes, kilobits, kilobytes, megabits, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, petabytes, exabytes - DENSITY grams/metre^3, kg/metre^3, oz/gallon UK, oz/gallon US, pounds/inch^3, grams/mm^3 - ENERGY ergs, joules, calories 20oC, calories THERM, calories 15oC, calories IT, kilojoules, BTUs THERM, BTUs ISO, BTUs IT, kilocalories IT, kilowatt hours, therms - FLOW litres/min, gals US/min, gals UK/min, ft^3/min, litres/sec, barrels/min, gals US/sec, gals UK/sec, m^3/min, ft^3/sec, barrels/sec, m^3/sec - FORCE dyne, millinewton, ounce-force, newton, pound-force, kg-force, kilonewton, kip-force, ton-f SHORT, ton-f LONG - FUEL CONSUMPTION litres/100km, miles/gal UK, miles/gal US, kms/litre, miles/litre - LENGTH angstroms, nanometres, microinches, microns, millimetres, centimetres, inches, feet, yards, metres, fathoms, perches, poles, rods, chains, cables IT, cables UK, furlongs, cables US, kilometres, miles, naut. miles, leagues, astro. units, light years, parsecs - NUMBERS binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal, Roman - POWER watts, donkeys, h.power METRIC, h.power 550, h.power ELEC, h.power WTR, kilowatts, tons refridge., megawatts - PRESSURE pascals, mm H2O 39.2oF, cm H2O 39.2oF, millibars, hectopascals, mm Hg 32oF, torrs, ounces/inch^2, kilopascals, cm Hg 32oF, in Hg 32oF, pounds/inch^2, bars, atmospheres - RADIOACTIVITY becquerel, rutherford, curie - SHOES USA - Male, USA - Female, European, UK, Japanese - SPEED - ANGULAR grade/min, degree/min, grade/sec, radian/min, degree/sec, rev/min, turn/min, radian/sec, rev/sec, turn/sec - SPEED - LINEAR cm/sec, inches/sec, kilometres/hr, feet/sec, miles/hr, knots, metres/sec, mach - TEMPERATURE gas mark, celsius, fahrenheit, kelvin - TIME nanoseconds, microseconds, milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, days, staff weeks, weeks, fortnights, staff months, months, staff years, years - TORQUE dyne cms, Newton metres - VOLUME millilitres, ccs, teaspoons, tablespoons, cubic incehs, fl ounces UK, fl ounces US, decilitres, cups, pints US, pints UK, quarts US, litres, quarts UK, gallons US, gallons UK, cubic feet, barrels, cubic yards, cubic metres - WEIGHT carats, grams, ounces, ounces TROY, pounds, pounds TROY, kilograms, stones, tons METRIC, tons SHORT, tons LONG 8. History ---------- Version 2.2 - 24th March 2002 - Fixed bug with conversions of Kilometers to Furlongs - Fixed bug with shoe size conversions giving wrong results when converting to or from USA shoe sizes - Fixed bug causing conversions from Atmospheres to Atmospheres to always return zero - Fixed readme file in the .zip to have proper formating for viewing on a Windows system - Added engineering categories including Acceleration, Density, Energy, Flow, Force and Power - Added 'Numbers' category which allows conversion between decimal, binary, octal, hexadecimal and even Roman numerals - Added automotive categories of Fuel Consumption and Torque - Added many types to existing categories - Added small icon for the application launcher list mode and also a color icon - Eliminated annoying flicker at application launch and on opening the preferences dialog Version 2.1 - 23rd January 2001 - Fixed a bug which caused the Palm to hang when the categories 'Shoes' or 'Clothes' were used in shortlist mode Version 2.0 - 21st January 2001 - Added shortlist feature to allow users to define a shortlist of common conversions to be accessed easily in shortlist mode, with the full set of conversions still available in full mode - Removed the convert button, result values are now recalculated whenever the input value changes or if another type or category is selected - Added cut, copy and paste functionality via menu and shortcuts - Added menu items and shortcuts for popup keyboard and grafitti help screen - Added a clear button to clear the input and result fields - The category and type selections are now saved between sessions as are the input/result values - Improved the result display so that trailing zeros are omitted - Many more types and categories added Version 1.1 - 29th December 1999 - Fixed some problems with temperature conversions from Kelvin to Farenheit - Changed the method of how conversions are done to one which is much more acurate for many of the conversions Version 1.0 - 8th June 1999 - Initial Version