TealMeal User's Manual

By Vince Lee, Tex Tennison, and Amanda Epume
Program Version 3.44
Last Updated: Mar 9, 2000

Description

Thank you for trying TealMeal. This is a simple but fun program designed to answer the age old question: "So where do you want to eat?"

TealMeal manages multiple databases of restaurants which can be selectively displayed by type or category. The database may be created or modified using full pilot-based editing functions. Additionally, databases may be edited on a PC using the included conversion programs when translate database files to and from an easily-editable text file format.

Installing

This archive contains the files:

TEALMEAL.DOC
This doc in text format
TEALMEAL.HTM
This doc in HTML format
TEALMEAL.PRC
The TealMeal program file
SAMPLE.PDB
A sample database file
SAMPLE.TEXT
A sample text database file for use with programs below
MEAL2TXT.EXE
Database-to-Textfile converter program
TXT2MEAL.EXE
Textfile-to-Database converter program
MEAL2CSV.EXE
Database-to-.CSV file converter program
CSV2MEAL.EXE
.CSV file-to-Database converter program
REGISTER.HTM
TealPoint Registration form in HTML format
REGISTER.DOC
TealPoint Registration form in text format
MEALDOC.PRC
This manual in TealDoc document format
Use the Pilot installer to install the program file TEALMEAL.PRC. You may also optionally install the sample database file SAMPLE.PDB. If you do not, the program will not be useful until you create some restaurant entries (see instructions below). Additional restaurant files are available on our web site (www.tealpoint.com). You may install one or more of these restaurant files. Each will appear as a separate editable database on your PalmPilot (New for 3.0).

Instructions on how to use the PalmPilot installer are in the PalmPilot Handbook that came with your Pilot, PalmPilot, or WorkPad.

Using the Program

TealMeal is easy to use. The name of the current restaurant list appears in the upper right corner of the display, while its entries appear on the right half of the display. Selectable options appear on the left hand side and bottom of the screen.

To seek to a particular restaurant in the list, you may use the on-screen scroll controls, the up and down scroll buttons, or entering a graffiti character for the first letter (sorted database only).

The options on the left are types of restaurants you want to see, such as Thai, Mexican, or French. A restaurant will only appear on the restaurant list if one of the types of foods it serves is checked on the left. Checking more restaurant types will include more restaurants.

The options on the bottom represent special conditions for the shown restaurants, such as outdoor seating or cheapness. Restaurants will only be included if they satisfy all selected conditions. Thus, selecting more options will show fewer restaurants.

Once a list of acceptable restaurants has been created, three functions are available. To show more information on the restaurant, press on the Details button, which is shaped like a magnifying glass, after either clicking an entry in the list window or using the scroll up/down buttons to select the desired entry. To show a full-screen view of the notes field associated with each entry, click on the Notes button, which is shaped like a memo pad. To select the last option, click on the Wheel of Food button, which randomly picks a restaurant from the current filtered list.

Managing Multiple Databases

TealMeal supports multiple databases, a useful feature for travelers, allowing one to maintain different lists for different cities.

To create a new database, select New Database from the Database main menu. Once the database has been created, it can be accessed from the Goto Database menu item or by clicking on the name of the current database on the upper right corner of the display. If your current database has custom labels or comments, you will be asked to optionally carry these over to the new database.

Custom Option Labels

Option labels for both restaurant types and special conditions can be changed by selecting the Custom Labels menu item. These names can be different for each database but are limited to 10 characters for restaurant types and 5 characters for special conditions.

Entry Editing - Pilot

To create a new restaurant entry, choose Create New Record from the Edit menu (shortcut Stoke-C). Alternately, to edit a existing entry, select it in the restaurant list and choose Edit Record from the Edit menu (shortcut Stroke-E).

Either of these options will bring up the editing screen, which resembles the Information screen. Enter a restaurant name, description, and check off all checkboxes that apply. Note that you must select at least one food category, or the record can never be shown.

Database Editing - PC

When you hotsync your pilot, the most current TealMeal database files are stored on the PC in a directory called BACKUP\, which resides in a directory named after your User ID. These files are named after the database names as seen from within TealMeal.

To edit the database file on a PC, run the included program MEAL2TXT to convert the PDB file into a text file, following the prompts for a source .PDB file to read and a target .TXT file to create.

After modifying the database, use the program TXT2MEAL to convert the text file back into a database (PDB) file which can be installed back onto the pilot using the pilot application installer.

Text File Format

The text file format is as follows. It's often easier to convert an existing database to use as a example rather than building a text file from scratch. 
	#
	# 
	# (comment lines, each preceeded by a '#')
	#
	#
	Custom Labels
	FoodTypeA 
	FoodTypeB
	FoodTypeC
	FoodTypeD
	FoodTypeE
	FoodTypeF
	FoodTypeG
	FoodTypeH
	FoodTypeI
	FoodTypeJ
	FoodTypeK
	FoodTypeL
	OptA
	OptB
	OptC
	OptD
	OptE
	DatabaseComments
	...
	>>>
	Restaurant1
	   FoodType FoodType FoodType...
	   Options Options Options...
	Description
	...
	>>>
	Restaurant2
	   FoodType FoodType FoodType...
	   Options Options Options...
	Description
	...
	>>>

	... and so on
The characters ">>>" are used as a record separator. The first record can optionally be a Custom Labels definition used the replace the standard FoodType and Options labels. If so, the text "Custom Labels" must appear alone on the first line, followed by the actual label names.

The Custom Labels record is optional. Names defined in the Custom Labels should be unique; no label should be a subset of any other label. If any food type names have spaces, they should be referred to from restaurant entries with the spaces replaced by underscores.

The DefaultFoodType entries are

The DefaultOptions entries are If you use Custom Labels you should use the corresponding labels in your records for each restaurant.

Descriptions and comment fields can be any number of lines. They end when the record separator is found.

.CSV File Format

It's best to convert an existing database to get the .CSV file format. Basically, it's the same format as the text file format, except that each record is broken down into 4 comma-separated value (.CSV) fields: Name, Types, Classes, and Description.

A Sample file appears below. Note that line-breaks within comment and description fields makes the format difficult to read. It is designed primarily for programmatic recognition such as importing into Excel. Notice that this example's first record is a custom label definition.

"Restaurant","Types","Classes","Description" "Custom Labels","American Chinese Fast food French Indian Italian Japanese Meditrrn Mexican Sandwich Thai Other","Fast Cheap Nice Outs Card","My Database of Favorite San Francisco Restaurants" "A & W","American Fast_food ","Fast Cheap ","3741 Redwood Hwy San Rafael (415) 479-9652 Burgers and root beer." "Amici's Pizzaria","Italian ","Card ","1242 Fourth St. San Rafael (415) 455-9777 Great pizza"

Revision History

Contact Info

TealMeal is By Vince Lee, TealPoint Software
(c) 1997 All Rights Reserved.
TealPoint Software
454 Las Gallinas Ave PMB #318
San Rafael, CA 94903-3618
We look forward to hearing from you.

Please visit us at www.tealpoint.com, or
email us at contact@tealpoint.com.

Thank you.

Registering

Currently, you may register by snail mail, electronically through our website with a credit card and a secured server, or through PilotGear HQ at 1-800-741-9070. For the first option, the enclosed registration form is provided for your convenience. You may use this form or simply send the following to the address above. When you register, you will be sent an email containing a registration code you can enter into TealPaint to turn off the "Please Register" messages.

Disclaimer

We at TealPoint Software are committed to providing quality, easy-to-use software. However, this product is provided without warranty and the user accepts full resposibility for any damages, consequential or otherwise, resulting from its use.

This archive is freely redistributable, provided it is made available only in its complete, unmodified form with no additional files and for noncommercial purposes only. Any other use must have prior written authorization from TealPoint Software.

Unauthorized commercial use includes, but is not limited to:

  1. A product for sale.
  2. Accompanying a product for sale.
  3. Accompanying a magazine, book or other publication for sale.
  4. Distribution with "Media", "Copying" or other incidental costs.
  5. Available for download with access or download fees.
This program may be used on a trial basis for 30 days. The program will continue to function afterwards. However, if after this time you wish to continue using it, please register with us for the nominal fee listed in the program.
Thank you.