Currency Version 3.2 (last built 16 Jan. 2001) =============================================== by Henrique M. Martins hm_martins@email.com ------------------------------------------------------------ See also http://members.nbci.com/HM_Martins/currex.htm ------------------------------------------------------------ Currency is a currency database and conversion utility. Installation This distribution comprises two freeware components: 1. The PalmOS application, (file currex.prc), which is distributed in file currex.zip and must be installed in your Palm as usual. 2. The Currency conduit (credits: Tim Endres), which is distributed in file conduit.zip and which can be *OPTIONALY* installed in your host desktop to fully automate the process of updating the exchange rates. The official site for the conduit is http://www.dotfile.com/palm/currex 1. Intallation of currex.prc This is done as usal. Using the palm desktop, add currex.prc to the list of files to upload at the next Hot-Sync. If you are upgrading from a very old version of "Currency" and you find any problem (this is not foreseen), you may have a database compatibility problem. In this case, just delete Currency from your Palm (which automatically will also delete the database) and load it again. 2. Instalation of the conduit The currency conduit is an optional component which enables an automatic update of the exchange rates every time an Hot-Sync is performed. The instalation of the currency conduit is an easy and straightforward process described in detail in the file readme.html, under the "Conduit\doc" folder. Note, howerver, that you do not have to install the Conduit to test the Palm application. Even without the conduit, you may daily download from our site a new database with an updated set of exchange rates and install it in your Palm using the Palm desktop. The conduit only enables the full automation of this process every time you Hot-Sync. The instalation of the conduit is highly recommended if you are a professional user of if you need to have the exchange rates updated in a regular basis. Full and reduced version Two versions of "Currency" are distributed. The first one, distributed in archive currex.zip, includes support for 174 currencies. The second one, distributed in currred.zip, is a reduced version and supports 66 currencies. Both are free and daily udapted. To update Currency it is only required to download a small update database (either cupdate.pdb or cupdred.pdb), or re-install the application. Full Version Reduced version -------------------------------------------------------- File name currex.prc curred.prc Number of curr. 174 66 Size (.prc) 52657 43870 Size (.pdb) 25068 10000 Total 77725 53870 -------------------------------------------------------- Update database Name cupdate.pdb cupdred.pdb Size 6204 2804 --------------------------------------------------------- Check in http://members.nbci.com/HM_Martins/currex.htm the full list of currencies included in each version. Updating exchange rates Exchange rate may be updated manually, editing the "Settings/Currency" (see configuration details below). It is possible to update all currency rates automatically downloading a small database from the distribution web site. This database is kept daily updated according to the official rates published by the European Central Bank (ECB) (for the main currencies) or distributed by OANDA (see http://www.oanda.com/). Note that while ECB rates are "european official rates", OANDA rates are usually closer to the world market averages. OANDA rates are used, among many other sites, by CNN currency converter. To update the rates automatically proceed as follows: 1. Download the update database (cupdate.pdb) from http://members.nbci.com/HM_Martins/cupdate.pdb (or, if you use the reduced version "currred.prc", http://members.nbci.com/HM_Martins/cupdred.pdb) 2. On the host PC, run the HotSync application ("Palm desktop"), select Install/Add and browse until select cupdate.pdb, as you do to install a standard application. 3. Hot-Sync your Palm as usual. Automated exchange rate update using a conduit (Credits: Tim Endres) Instead of manually downloading the cupdate.pdb file periodically from http://members.nbci.com/HM_Martins/cupdate.pdb, you may have an automated procedure that downloads the exchange rate update database whenever an Hot Sync of the Palm is performed. For this purpose, the Currency Conduit must be installed in your desktop PC. The Currency Conduit was written and developed by Tim Endres (thank you!), and, upon unzipping of the distribution file, can be found under the subdirectory. More detailed information can be found in conduit/doc/readme.html or at Tim Endre's site: http://www.dotfile.com/palm/currex/. Direct download of the exchange rates to your Palm. Some Palm applications support direct download of files from remote internet locations. You may use one of such applications to update "cupdate.pdb" while on leave. One possibility is SmartDoc (please check http://www.tapworks.com/) which has the ability to download documents by FTP or HTTP. In this case, you just have to enter the NetMark http://members.nbci.com/HM_Martins/cupdate.pdb. Main features: - Freeware. - Configurable display (see Settings / Display menu) - Up to 6 simultaneous currencies on display. - Simultaneous update of all displayed currencies. - User selectable font size. - User defined number format (support of international formats) according to the main system preferences (see the "Prefs" application in the system folder, format category, menu "number format"). - All calculations performed in double precision (~14 digits of precision). Att: Least significant digits may be incorrect if more then 14 digits are used. - 174 or 66 currencies included. - All 12 Euro currencies (frozen exchange rates). - Daily update support. - All to all currency conversions. (Conversions performed via Euro triangulation, which may not be correct for conversion between non Euro currencies.) - Configurable currency details (see Settings / Currency menu). - User selectable reference currency for exchange rate updates. - Warning issued for outdated exchange rates. - Configurable display format. - Auxiliary small keyboard input. - Date of last exchange rate update stored for each individual currency. - Independent setting of actual and default preferences. - System default rates as supplied by Olsen and Associates (OANDA, see http://www.oanda.com/). - The prc image at EuroCool will be daily updated at about 13:30/14:30 GMT with the spot rates published by the European Central Bank. Since this service will be provided at no cost, it may be interrupted at any moment without prior notice. - Full keyboard support. Configuration details: - The display can be configured tapping the "Select" button. Use < and > to add/remove currencies to the active display list. You may reorder the currencies in the active display list by "drag & drop": select the currency you want to move, drag the pen until the new position where you would like to see it, and lift the pen. The currencies in the initial and final positions will exchange locations. - The details for each currency can be fully configured taping the currency code or using the "Settings/currency" option. Editable fields are clearly marked. - In the "Settings/Currency" screen select preferred reference currency, which can be optionaly used to update exchange rates. - The default button in the "Settings/Currency" screen recalls the system default value for the displayed currencies. - The "Reset/Reset all currencies" menu in the "Settings/Currency" screen resets all currencies (INCLUDING user defined currencies) to system default values. - Currency keeps track of two configuration profiles. Each profile is defined by the set of displayed currencys, amd the slected font. 1. The actual configuration is the one in use and which is kept when switching between applications. 2. The "user default" profile can be defined by the user by setting the desired configuration and then selecting the menu option "Display/Set as default" in the "Configure display" screen. 3. The "User default" profile can be restored at any time either in the main screen using the "Settings/User default" menu or in the Configure Display screen using the "Display/Restore default" option. - The download of a new prc image in order to update exchange rates will not affect user defined settings (display configuration, number format and user defined currencies). Only the exchange rates of the default currencies will be updated IF they are newer (more recent) than those in the currency database. - Validity period for rates in use can be set at the "Settings/Validity" menu. After the specified period of time, a warning symbol is displayed near the currency code. Calculator - Full algebric calculator. Standard algebric priorities and parenthesis supported. - Given the basic "Currency" design (where all displayed currencies are treated in parallel) , some inconsistencies may be expected in operation of the calculator. For example, when computing $1000 * 0.15 = $150, the 0.15 factor will be treated as "Currency" and its "rate" computed for all displayed currencies, even if it is just a multiplication factor. On the other hand, if the active currency field (the one displaying the insertion cursor) is changed in the middle of an expression, the result may be unexpected. But this is an inconsistent (and unlikely) use of the calculator. - Defining a positive or negative tax rate in the Setting / Tax menu, a one touch operation key for that factor will be displayed in the main screen. -- Known problems A few users wich own "older" Palm devices, running Palm OS 2.0 prior to 2.0.5, experienced some problems after the installation of the "full" Currency version. The symptoms are: (1) An attempt to run Currency makes the Palm return to the application menu (2) Apparently, it does not seem possible to delete "Currency" from the main memory. There are no reports of "hard" crashes or data loss in any of these situations. It is possible to recover a "normal" Palm behavior as follows: 1. Perform a backup of your Palm. This is not strictly required, but let's be safe. 2. Perform an hardware soft reset. With a small clip, press *once* the reset button in the rear pannel. This reinitializes the system but does not erase any data, so all your information is kept. 3. Delete "Currency". The delete will work OK now. 4. Download the "reduced" Currency version, wich is known to work OK with all operating systems. The reduced version can be downloaded from http://members.nbci.com/HM_Martins/currred.zip The reduced version only supports about 65 currencies, but it includes the major trading currencies (check which ones in http://members.nbci.com/HM_Martins/). Distribution: - This software may be freely distributed. But an e-mail informing me would be welcome. Disclaimer: - The software is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author nor anyone else who has been involved in the delivery of this product assumes any liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of the software. Comments: - Comments welcome. -- Henrique M. Martins hm_martins@email.com