This is a great tool for any development on the Palm with the need to port data to a PC. Data gathered from any source can be quickly transferred to the PC in easy to manage text file format, for easy dissemination to programs which require it, without having to use Hotsync. Your customers aren't required to master HotSync and/or conduit installations to get to their data. All you have to do is write the code to get the data out the Palm port (simple test program included), then use the data on the PC as needed. PalmRdr painlessly takes care of the transfer for you. Since we are dealing with serial data, this program is not development platform dependent. The test program furnished is written in CASL, but any language that can talk to the serial port can use PalmRdr.

Installation: Create a temporary folder & unzip palmrdr.zip to it. Run setup.exe from the temporary folder, then just follow on-screen prompts. The Configuration Tool will run autmatically after setup is complete. The 'Help' button in the Configuration Tool contains instructions for all configuration settings.

How it works: Upon execution of the program, the configuration file generated by the Configuration Tool is checked for all required parameters such as PC com port to be used, comspeed, filename to save text to, subdirectory for text file to be saved in, timeout period, etc. The program will then begin polling the com port until it receives the selected number of characters or until the selected timeout is reached. Once this is accomplished, the message: "Reading your Palm" is displayed (with a timeout countdown, if selected in the Configuration Tool), and the program will wait for input from the Palm. Upon receiving the selected number of characters received (or upon timeout, whichever occurs first), the data received will be saved to the selected filename. When the file has been successfully written, a small window will appear on the screen with the actual number of characters received. Upon selecting 'OK', the program will exit. You can experiment with the Configuration Tool for the best transfer results. If you know the exact number of characters to be sent, this is the best (fastest) way to accomplish the transfer as the file will be written & the program will terminate immediately upon receipt of the requested number of characters rather than having to wait for the timeout.

The absolute limit for character transfer is 32000 characters per send & this program has been tested successfully at that limit. If you want to test this program with the same unit you're hotsyncing with, make sure Hotsync is turned off. You must have the SerIrCommLib.prc installed on your Palm to use IR transfer. To learn more about setting up IR on your notebook, check out: http://www.irda.org/use/start.htm. When using IR, it is best to hold the palm in front of the receiver for a few seconds to allow syncing before trying to send. The Palm should be held within a few inches of the PC IR device, as, due to battery constraints, the Palm IR transmitter is not terribly powerful .

A small .prc file (prdrtest.prc) is included for your convenience to test the functionality of your unit & connection. Just load the program into your Palm with the install function of Hotsync. Run the program, then press the 'SendStr' button while the Palm is in the cradle & 'Cradle' has been selected in Preferences->Serial/IR, or while holding the Palm IR port close to IRport of your PC, making sure that 'Infrared' has been selected in Preferences->Serial/IR. If working properly, the PC will receive & write the poem "Jabberwocky" to the filename you have chosen. The very simple CASL source code (prdrtest.csl) and project files are included for your convenience.