[pilot-db-list] Bug Report & Feature Request(s)

[Tom V. <tw...@ss...>]

First: Thank you for this very useful piece of software. I'm running on 
a Clie SJ22, color 320x320. I am impressed with the control of the 
database structure and editing of the fields. And I really like the 
fine text that lets me see 21 lines of my table, plus headers!

Since I see 1.1.3 around the corner, I have a bug, and a request. I 
don't see these in the mailing list archives; if I missed them and am 
redundant, apologies.

1. Among many other things, I was trying to see if I could use this as 
a note taker. I set up a simple database of two-field records, the 
first an auto-date-stamp (nice), the second a note. I expected that if 
I set the note field's width to 280 pixels, in the list view I would 
see as many characters of the note body as fit in 280 pixels with the 
smaller font, not just the first line of the note -- in hi-resolution 
list view, half my field is empty. Can this be fixed for the next 
version?

2. Then I also noticed that I cannot paste multi-line text from the 
clipboard ("upstroke-P") into the note field in the record editing 
dialog -- I expected the text to be wrapped into the note body as 
needed.

3. For editing a "new" record -- in the record edit dialog, can the 
cursor be initialized (focused) to the first field without a default or 
incremented value, to save a tap?

4. And the full-screen note dialog doesn't support any upstroke 
commands (or an Edit menu) at all. No Cut, Copy, Paste. Can this be 
fixed for the next version?

5. I liked that I could add a field to records in an existing database. 
It would be even more helpful if the default value of the new field 
would be copied into all existing records as the database is rebuilt, 
not just inserted into subsequent new records.

6. One column I tried to add was to contain only column separation -- I 
have an eight column table, and I didn't want to give up all the screen 
space required for column separators between all columns, when I 
visually needed it only between the 4th and 5th. Why wasn't I permitted 
to make the field only 4 or 5 pixels wide (to hold the "|" character?

7. Further, as I played more with the record edit dialog and the note 
dialog, I noticed that the field displayed in the record edit dialog 
isn't a simple reflection of, or a window onto, the first line of the 
note by default. The tool is providing essentially two fields for a 
note, a title distinct from the body, and once you edit in the note 
dialog you can tap a checkbox to have the note body's first 32 
characters copied into the title which is the only thing showing in the 
list view. This was counter-intuitive to me.

For example, I expected that if I entered text into the note's field in 
the record edit dialog, as I entered the last character that would fit 
on the line (or I entered a "Carriage Return"), the note entry dialog 
would automatically pop-up, with my already entered text at the top, 
word-wrapped as necessary, ready for me to continue entering the rest 
of the note. If my note was very short and fit entirely on the line, 
the full screen note dialog would not pop up. Later, if I edited the 
text of the first line of the note in either dialog, that change would 
be reflected in both dialogs. Is it possible to provide a global 
preference to select the windowed-style I've just described, instead of 
the original two-field style?

8. Finally, I discovered the Delete Records command in list view, which 
seemed more convenient than deleting individual records from within the 
record edit dialog. Is it possible to provide a mechanism by which a 
record or range of records could be "selected" to be deleted (cut X or 
in some future: duplicated D, moved M, copied C, or pasted P)? Maybe by 
highlighting the first and last column of pixels in the affected rows, 
or changing the background coloring of the rows. As you guessed, this 
idea occurred to me just after I deleted _all_ records in my database 
with this command :-). I recognize that to do this, you might need to 
redefine single-tap to mean "select", and move "edit record" to double-
tap.

Anyone agree or disagree with any of the observations above? Anyways, 
don't get me wrong -- this is a very handy program to have on my 
handheld. Thank you again for all your efforts.

        twv@
        -- 
        Tom Vrankar
        Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Portsmouth
        Region N17 (M/S 190, Bldg 1W)
        1847 West Main Road
        Portsmouth, RI 02871-1087
        tw...@ss...
        (401)842-4380  Fax: (401)842-5208