pilot-db-list

[pilot-db-list] palm-db-tools - take two

[Yedidyah Bar-D. <di...@ta...>]

Hi all,

I now spent some time on this again. After looking at various other
options, I decided the fastest will be to fix palm-db-tools, and not
rewrite it in some other language as I suggested in the past. So I
sat down and did it. You can find in
<http://www.cs.tau.ac.il/~didi/palm-db-tools-with-filters-and-scripts.patch>
a patch that allows pdb2csv and csv2pdb export and import the following:
Global scripts
Filters (both simple and advanced)
The "formula" of a calculated field

Note that it does not (yet?) interpret the bytecode, only stores it.
So you can't edit it on a PC. But you can do the following:
1. pdb2csv
2. edit the csv with whatever tool you want
3. csv2pdb
sync the pdb, "Rebuild Database", and have everything working, with all
you filters and scripts.

You can't, for obvious reasons, change the structure of the DB on the PC,
as the scripts contain references to columns by their index. Still, it's
a start.

Is anyone interested?

Is anyone interested in interpreting formulas on a PC?
Of course it's more convinient, and also allows things like creating
SQL views based on your filters, but it's more work.

Where should this be maintained? palm-db-tools.sf.net seems dead to me.

Does anyone have recommendations/opinions about how to edit the csv on
the PC? Besides the obvious excell/openoffice, that is. Something that
will have the snappiness and features of pilot-db (and I can say that
in my experience most web apps aren't as fast and convinient), and will
be multiuser?  I know this was discussed in the past here, but it was
theoretic. Now, with a working palm-db-tools, it's closer to reality.

Thanks,
-- 
Didi

RE: [pilot-db-list] palm-db-tools - take two

[Dennis M. <dmc...@ny...>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pil...@li...
> [mailto:pil...@li...]On Behalf
> Of Yedidyah
> Bar-David
> Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 8:04 AM
> To: Pilot-DB List
> Subject: [pilot-db-list] palm-db-tools - take two
>
> Does anyone have recommendations/opinions about how to edit the csv on
> the PC? Besides the obvious excell/openoffice, that is. Something that
> will have the snappiness and features of pilot-db (and I can say that
> in my experience most web apps aren't as fast and convinient), and will
> be multiuser?  I know this was discussed in the past here, but it was
> theoretic. Now, with a working palm-db-tools, it's closer to reality.

There are a couple of tools I've been using to do this sort of manipulation
on the PC.

Sam Franke has an interesting product called CSVed, designed to edit and
manipulate CSV files.  CSVed replaces an earlier product of his called
CSVdb.

From the website:

some features:

*  edit, add, insert and delete items
*  import
*  change separator
*  add, delete columns
*  rearrange column order
*  save selection of rows and columns
*  save filtered items
*  save with double quotes
*  search and replace
*  filter items
*  remove duplicates
*  append and merge files
*  install and uninstall
*  help in English
*  add prefix and suffix
*  split and join columns
*  export to HTML, Excel, Word, XML and more
*  proper words and strings
*  column search
*  column sort

CSVed is currently at v1.11.

Go to http://home.hccnet.nl/s.j.francke/t2t/text2table.htm for information
and downloads.


Rafael Fetzer has a product called DB-Editor, specifically intended for
manipulating Pilot-DB databases under Windows on a PC.  It can import from a
variety of sources, including Excel files, CSV files, and JFile/MobileDB
databases among others, and appears to support all current Pilot-DB field
types.

DB-Editor is at version 0.7.4.0.

Rafael also produces PDFConverter, a Windows tool for converting text or
HTML files to Palm doc, zText, or Plucker format, and PalmXP, a Windows file
manager for browsing Palm files on the PC that understands and can display
Palm specific file attributes.

Go to http://www.jakewalk.de/palm/dbeditor_e.html for information and
downloads.

Both products are freeware, but not open source.

I have no idea how they behave in a multi-user environment.

> Thanks,
> --
> Didi
______
Dennis

Re: [pilot-db-list] palm-db-tools - take two

[Nathan K. <na...@ve...>]

On Wed, Aug 11, 2004 at 03:04:12PM +0300, Yedidyah Bar-David wrote:
> I now spent some time on this again. After looking at various other
> options, I decided the fastest will be to fix palm-db-tools, and not
> rewrite it in some other language as I suggested in the past. So I
> sat down and did it.

Thanks Didi!

> Where should this be maintained? palm-db-tools.sf.net seems dead to me.

I think pilot-db.sf.net would be a fine place for it.  In my mind it
would simplify things to collect them all together there.  Feel free
to add it as a release there, or I'll be able to do it in a while.

[By the way, I'm back from an interesting but wearying month of
travelling through China.  (Wow!  That wasn't the China I was
expecting.) I haven't had a chance to think about pilot-db yet, and
might not for a few more weeks.  My current spare time project is
figuring out how to make a DVD out of some video footage I took while
there.  But once that's done, I'll have some time for pilot-db again.]

--nate

Re: [pilot-db-list] palm-db-tools - take two

[Yedidyah Bar-D. <di...@ta...>]

On Mon, Aug 16, 2004 at 02:27:52AM -0600, Nathan Kurz wrote:
> On Wed, Aug 11, 2004 at 03:04:12PM +0300, Yedidyah Bar-David wrote:
> > I now spent some time on this again. After looking at various other
> > options, I decided the fastest will be to fix palm-db-tools, and not
> > rewrite it in some other language as I suggested in the past. So I
> > sat down and did it.
> 
> Thanks Didi!

Welcome. It was quite fun to do actually. My main bug was not writing
a "=" operator in a class I added, and loosing parts of it. Did I say
I don't know C++? I consulted a friend (Alon Shalita) who helped me
with this, and the rest was just usual writing/debugging.

> 
> > Where should this be maintained? palm-db-tools.sf.net seems dead to me.
> 
> I think pilot-db.sf.net would be a fine place for it.  In my mind it
> would simplify things to collect them all together there.  Feel free
> to add it as a release there, or I'll be able to do it in a while.

Maybe I will, not in the next few days. I'll tell you when I have more
time again.

> 
> [By the way, I'm back from an interesting but wearying month of
> travelling through China.  (Wow!  That wasn't the China I was
> expecting.) I haven't had a chance to think about pilot-db yet, and
> might not for a few more weeks.  My current spare time project is
> figuring out how to make a DVD out of some video footage I took while
> there.  But once that's done, I'll have some time for pilot-db again.]

Good to have you back,
-- 
Didi