Due to the complexity and risk of making users very unhappy,
> I am not inclined to attempt to develop a conduit with the first
> version of the software I am developing.
Conduit development is not particularly complicated. I don't really see how
being able to sync data on the Palm is going to make users unhappy :-)
I understand that an automatic back-up download can be induced
> using the latest version of the synchronizing software provided
> with Palm OS devices.
Not just the latest version of HotSync. This has always been the case if there
is no conduit registered for the database, the backup bit is set in the database
and the database type is not "DATA".
> I also understand that one can load a database back onto a Palm OS
> device if one alters it externally and saves it in a Palm OS
> database format on the PC in the proper sync file directory and listing.
One can, but this is no simpler than writing the conduit in the first place, and
has significant disadvantages. For example, you will not be able to process the
backed up Palm database on the PC and get it back onto the device in one sync.
It will require one sync to backup the database, another independent process to
do whatever to that database, then another sync to get the modified database
back onto the device (which incidentally will have backed up the original
database from the Palm again).
People new to PalmOS development often see this as simpler for some reason. It
isn't. There are relatively few occasions where it makes sense to deal with PDB
files on the PC. Most often a conduit is the better option.
I'd also like to know if there are any instructions that show me how to use
> the emulator as the device with which to sync.
The docs that come with the emulator show how to set it up to sync. I would also
suggest that you create a new user with the Palm Desktop and use that user when
syncing with the emulator. This way you can still keep syncing any real device
that you might be using.
Can anyone help with these questions? Another question relates to any
> Palm OS dll's and functions that are necessary to do this.
There aren't any, there are only third-party tools that supprot direct
manipulation of PDB on the PC end.
I've got the 4.03 development kit. It doesn't support my available Window's
> development environments and my OS
CDK 4.03? You can use that with Borland C++ v4.5. The conduit APIs are contained
in DLLs, so you can directly call them (use the C/C++ library, not the ActiveX
version. The C/C++ library is better anyway). If I can do that from Delphi, you
can do it from C++.
I've no idea what you mean by having no support for your OS.
> I don't see how a database could be accessed
> without Palm functions written for use under
> Windows to access unique database structures and
> number representation.
Since there are no Palm APIs for accessing Palm databases on PCs, what people
who wanted to do that have done is to write their own routines. There are no
problems with number representation, Palm have always used the standard ways of
doing this. The only issue is that they are big-endian on Palm devices and
little-endian on PCs. There are API calls in the CDK to deal with that, and they
are easy enough to write for yourself.
Cheers,
Jim Cooper
__________________________________________
Jim Cooper [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Skype : jim.cooper
Tabdee Ltd http://www.tabdee.ltd.uk
TurboSync - Connecting Delphi to your Palm
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