JFile Pro 1.0
Documentation

Upgrading User Notes:

Updating From JFile to JFile Pro:
JFile and JFile Pro can be both be on the Palm unit at the same time.  JFile Pro uses a new database format and creator ID, and as a result, there is no interaction between JFile and JFile Pro on the Palm side, nor either of their respective databases.  You may continue to use JFile, and begin testing with JFile Pro at the same time (although duplicate database names are not allowed on the Palm device, so you will need to be sure your new JFile Pro database names do not conflict with any other databases on the Palm device).
To convert your existing JFile 3.x .pdb files into JFile Pro format, the included jconvpro.exe converter has a new button to help automate this procedure.  More information on the converter is available near the end of this document.

To Third Party utility users with JFile Pro:
If you are using any of the numerous third party utilities to help access your JFile databases on the PC or Mac, please see the following web page for update information:
http://www.land-j.com/jfileu.html
Some of the New Features in JFile Pro:
-	Advanced Filter option for up to 5 filter specifications, with ranges allowed
-	Scrollbars in most views for easy database navigation
-	More field types including: increment counters, creation and modification date and times, and multiple item popup lists.
-	Three to four times speed improvement in most find, filter, and sort operations
-	Databases may be grouped into categories for easy selection
-	Increased maximum fields to 50 per database
-	Larger font choices available for easier viewing
-	New read-only view of a record similar to the AddressBook
-	Printing of databases and records via the PalmPrint application
-	Options for easy movement through databases and records with hardware keys mapped to the small onscreen movement arrows.
-	Databases respect the normal PalmOS ‘Private’ setting from the Security Application
-	Graphical method for sizing of columns in the Database View
-	Creating a duplicate of a database structure
-	Deletion of all records that appear in a filter
-	4 digit years standard from the Date Picker
-	Compatibility with Launcher type apps to launch a specific database
-	Included converter works in both command line, and Windows mode
-	Easier editing and viewing of text fields with large amounts of data
Limitations:
-	60 databases (1 in the demonstration version)
-	field names can be no longer than 20 characters
-	50 fields maximum per databases
-	4000 characters per field of data
Overview of the Application
JFile Pro is a flat-file database application for the PalmOS.  
There are 4 primary ‘views’ in JFile Pro: The ‘Main’ view, the ‘New/Modify Database Structure’ view, the ‘Database’ view, and the ‘Record’ view.  A summary of each of these views is presented here, with an in-depth explanation presented later in this documentation file. 

Main View: This is the view that shows you a list of all the JFile Pro databases that are currently installed on the Palm device.   

New/Modify Database Structure View: This is the view when you are creating a new database, or modifying the structure of an existing database.  Here is where you set the field names, the field types, the database name, and other elements of the database structure.

Database View: This is the view you are presented with when you tap on a database name from the ‘Main View’.  This is a spreadsheet-like view all of the records in the database, with one record displayed per line, and you have the ability to scroll through the fields in a left/right manner.

Record View: This is the view you receive when you tap a specific record from the ‘Database View’.  The full contents of the records data are displayed on the screen in a format such that the field names are on the left side of the screen, and the field data is on the right side of the screen.  This is the primary location to do any editing to the data.
Main View
List of Databases
The main area of the database view is the listing of JFile Pro databases that you have on the Palm unit.  The table is contains 4 ‘columns’:
  The first column is an icon that resembles and eye.  Tapping this icon for a particular database will launch that database in read-only mode – no changes are able to be performed on a database while in read-only mode.  
The second column is that name of the database itself.  Tapping on this column will launch the database in normal mode where editing is permitted.
The third column is the number of records currently in the database.
The forth column is an I icon, standing for information.  Tapping this will popup a dialog box with the given databases details and preferences.
Creating A New Database:
To create a new database, tap the 'New DB' button.  You will be taken to the New/Modify Database View, where you can set up or make changes to the databases field names, field types, and the database name itself.  Further details on this is contained in the section on the New/Modify Database View.
Viewing A Database:
While on the main view screen, tap on the title of the database you would like to view.  A new screen comes up, with the title indicating which database you are in.  For a new database you will see only the column/field headings.  See the ‘Database View’ section of this documentation for more information on this.
To create a new database, tap the 'New DB' button.  You will be taken to the New/Modify Database View, where you can set up or make changes to the databases field names, field types, and the database name itself.  Further details on this is contained in the section on the New/Modify Database View.
Deleting A Database
To delete a database from the Palm unit, tap the square ‘Delete’ button at the bottom of this screen, then tap on the name of the database you wish to delete.  A confirmation message will be displayed, and then the database will be removed from the Palm unit.
Beaming a Database to Another Palm Unit
To beam a database from one Palm unit to another, tap the square ‘Beam’ button at the bottom of the screen, then tap on the name of the database you wish to beam.  Point the two Palm unit’s InfraRed ports at one another, and the beaming will commence, with a verification message given at the end of the procedure.  Note the the Palm unit you beam the database to must also have JFile Pro installed to be able to view the database.
Modifying A Current Database’s Structure
To modify an existing database’s field names, field types, or database name itself, tap the square ‘Modify’ button at the bottom of this screen, and the tap the name of the database you wish to modify.  You will then be taken to the Modify Database Structure View.  Further details on modifying a database are given later in this documentation.
Category Support
JFile Pro databases can be categorized.  In the upper right section of the screen is a category popup list, similar to the one on the normal Palm applications.  Using it, you can display a subset of the databases that are only in a particular category.  You can set each database’s category via the ‘DB Prefs’ menu option, or the ‘I’ (information) icons on the main screen of JFile Pro.
Setting and Removing the Private Flag
JFile Pro databases use the internal PalmOS Private setting to either show or hide databases that have been marked Private (further  details on the private setting below).  JFile Pro provides a quick method to toggle the Security App setting of the Private flag, via the two menu options on this screen in JFile Pro for ‘Show Private Data’ and ‘Hide Private Data’.  
The Hide Private Data menu option will immediately move the Palm into Private mode.  To return to non-Private mode, use the Show Private Data menu option – you will be presented with a password input dialog, where you will need to enter the password you have assigned in the Security Application of the Palm device (or leave it blank if you do not have a password set).  If the password matches, then the Palm device will toggle out of Private mode and all of your Private databases will appear in the Main View JFile Pro screen as well.
App Prefs Menu Option
While in this screen, and most of the others in JFile Pro, there is a menu option available for changing your application preferences, listed as ‘App Prefs’ in the JFile Pro menu.  This will bring up a dialog box with a number of preferences that you can set:
Buttons = left/right arrows
Checking this option will allow usage of the ‘Address Book’ and ‘Todo List’ hardware buttons on the Palm unit to also act as the left/right scroll arrows on the various screens in JFile Pro, which is sometimes easier than trying to select the smaller on-screen left and right scroll arrows.  Unchecking this button will return the hardware buttons to their normal assignment of launching the respective application
View mode in columnal format
In cases where you are viewing a read-only database, JFile Pro will normally switch to a view only mode to display individual records.  This mode looks similar to the AddressBooks view mode.  If you prefer to view your read-only databases in the normal JFile Pro, where all field names are in a left hand column, and field data is always in the right hand column, check this option.
Confirm database deletion
Checking this preference will require an extra ‘Are you sure’ dialog box before deleting a database, to help prevent accidental database deletion.
Confirm record deletion
Checking this preference will require an extra ‘Are you sure’ dialog box before deleting a record in a database, to help prevent accidental database deletion.
Auto-Capitalization on
Checking this box will turn on auto-capitalization in most fields in JFile Pro so that when you begin to edit a new field, the first character entered is capitalized by default.
Edit in place in column view
This preference, if checked, will allow you to edit certain fields in JFile Pro in the Database View, instead of having to go completely into the Record View.  This works on the field types of PopupList, Date, Time, and Boolean.  This makes it very easy to check or uncheck a Boolean (checkbox) field when you are viewing all the records in a JFile Pro database for instance, without having to first select the individual record, and then checking or unchecking the box.
Do not search JFile in global ‘Finds’
This option, if checked, will exclude JFile Pro from the normal PalmOS ‘Find’ operation (to the right of the Graffiti input area).  This is useful if you have very large databases in JFile Pro, and do not wish to slow down the normal Palm ‘Find’ routines by searching through the JFile Pro databases as well.  This option does not affect the internal JFile Pro search, filter, or find routines.
Data Font
A series of 3 fonts are available for you to choose from – they affect most of the data fields in JFile Pro, to make the text larger (or smaller), and perhaps easier to read on the Palm screen.
New/Modify Database Structure View
Creating A New Database:
To create a new database, tap the 'New DB' button.  Enter the name of the database at the top of the screen, which can be up to 30 characters in length.  The next step is to select the field names for each record and the field types.
The field names can be up to 20 characters each in length, and must be continuous on the ‘New Database’ screen, JFile Pro will not permit you to leave an ‘unnamed’ field in the list of field names.
You may choose a different Field Type for each field.  To the right of the field type column, you will see a ‘?’ for certain field types.  Tapping this will allow you to choose among variations of that particular field types.  The field types are listed below:
Field Types

String: this is the ‘normal’ field type allowing strings of up to 4000 characters to be entered in the field list.  For very long text fields, easy editing and viewing of the field is possible by clicking on the field name in the record view.  This will cause a popup edit box to appear that will allow complete and easy access to the string field’s data.

Bool: this is the Boolean type of field type, and will appear in your databases as a checkbox that is either checked or unchecked. NOTE: You can ‘filter’ on Boolean fields using either a 0 or a 1 as the filter string.

Date: this is the Date type of field type, and will popup a Date picking dialog box when you click on the name of the field
Variations: 
Normal Date – a date field that is initially blank.
Creation Date – a date field that automatically fills in the date the record was created
Modification Date – a date field that updates each time the record is modified

Time: this is the Time type of field type, and will popup a Time picking dialog box when you click on the name of the field
Variations:
Normal Time – a time field that is initially blank
Creation Time – a time field that automatically fills in the time the record was created
Modification Time – a time field that updates each time the record is modified

Popup: this is a Popup List field type.  You can define the contents of the popup list once you are in the editing view of the database itself. Popup lists are not intended to be used for very long lists of data.  There are limitations in JFile Pro that limit each Popup List to 100 items, and each list is limited to approximately 2000 characters of data
Variations:
Normal Popup – the data for the field is completely replaced with the text from the popup choice
Multiple Popup items per line – the popup text is appended to the data on the line, with a space separating the new popup choice.

Int: this is the Integer field type.  Sorting on this field will be valid for integers up to approximately 9 digits in length.
Variations:
Normal Integer – a normal integer field that is initially blank
Auto-Increment Integer – a integer field that automatically fills in with the value of the ‘Starting Number’, and then each time a new record is created, the counter is bumped up (or down for negative numbers) by the amount of the ‘Increment Amount’.

Float: this is the Floating Point field type.  Sorting on this field will be valid for integers up to approximately 9 digits in length.
Database Modification
You can now change the names of fields, their Field Types, as well as the database name after the database has been created.  You can also add, delete, and exchange fields in the database structure.  To modify a database in this way, go to the Main view in JFile Pro, tap the ‘Modify’ button, which will become highlighted, and then select the database you wish to modify.

From this screen you can Insert (Ins. button) a field, Delete (Del. button) a field, or Exchange (Exch. button) 2 fields in the database structure.  Note that on large databases some of these operations may take a while to complete.

Similarly you can change the types of Fields in this screen.  Note however that if you change from non-compatible field types, you will have a loss of data.  Example: you have a field with a string type with a lot of text in each record in that particular field.  If you switch that to a Boolean type of field, you will lose each of those strings, and the field will be reset to allow input of a Boolean/Checkbox type of input.
Database View
Database Preferences
The Database Prefs menu option will bring up the Database Preferences dialog box – you can also bring up this dialog box via the ‘I’ icon on the Main View screen next to each database name.  From here you can modify certain features of each particular database:
Category: this is a popup list from which you can choose the category to assign this database.
Backup Database at HotSync: this box, if checked, will backup the database .pdb file to your Palm backup directory on the PC at each HotSync.  Note that certain backup utility application may override this value.
Private Database: this box, if checked, will set the database to be a Private Database, similar to the other Palm applications Private settings (described in your user manual for the Palm device itself).  Private databases are only shown in JFile Pro if the security setting on your Palm device is in ‘Show Private’ mode.  If it is in ‘Hide Private’ mode, JFile Pro databases with the Private setting will not be shown.
NOTE: There is no encryption being done on the data items in the database itself!  The purpose of this private function is only to prevent the casual user of your Palm device from accessing you more Private data.  Example: say you want to hand it to a friend to try out the Pilot, with the Private box set for the database, and the Auto-Lock on, the person will not be able to access that particular database in JFile Pro if the security application on your Palm unit is in Hide Private records mode..  Similarly, the data is not encrypted in the resultant .pdb file on the PC following a HotSync, so that it is possible to access the data in a Private database after a HotSync on the PC.  Again, the purpose of the Private flag is simply to prevent the casual user of you Palm device from accessing data that you would not like them to have access to.
Auto-lock on app exit:  this box, if checked will automatically set JFile Pro back to the Main View whenever the application is exited.  This is useful for private databases – since a database that is ‘opened’ will be re-opened when JFile Pro is launched again (after using another app).  If this box is checked, the database is automatically closed when you switch from JFile Pro into another app.  If unchecked, the database remains opened, and when you re-enter JFile Pro, the database will be opened and in the same screen you were at when you left it.
Make this database read-only:  this box if checked will make the database a read-only database.  No changes to data, addition or deletion of records will be allowed on this database while this box is checked.  
Sorting a Database
While viewing a database, you can tap on any of the column headings to sort the database by that particular column/field – tapping the column heading will bring up a list of options, with Sort Normal and Sort Reverse available for each column (field) of the database.  A menu option to sort the database with secondary and tertiary sort fields is also available.
Viewing A Database:
While on the main view screen, tap on the title of the database you would like to view.  A new screen comes up, with the title indicating which database you are in.  For a new database you will see only the column/field headings.

As the number of records in your database grows, you'll find yourself scrolling down the list of records. Keep in mind that in addition to the software "line at a time" up/down arrow buttons provided by JFile Pro, you can also use the hardware "scroll" buttons provided on your Pilot (just below the data entry area) to move not only JFile Pro but any pilot application's data up and down a full page at a time.
Column Totals
JFile Pro supports column totals.  You can click on a column title (ie. the field name), and you will be presented with a list of options, one of which is ‘Column Totals’.  By clicking on this, you will see the totals for that particular column.  For integers and floating point numbers, the total will show the number of records and the total of the numbers.  For checkbox/boolean type fields, this will show you the number of checked vs. unchecked boxes.  All other field types will show you the number of records in the display.  

NOTE: The totals are based on the current filter, so that if you have a filter on that is showing 20 out of 40 total records, the totals will be based only on those 20 records in the filter.
Setting Up Column Widths
In the database columns view, tapping the column heading will present a drop list with one of the choices being to ‘Set Column Width’. When tapped, a vertical line will appear on the right side of the column you are setting the width for.  By clicking on the line and dragging it to the left or right, you can modify the width of that column that is displayed.  A number at the top of the screen appears to give you a indication of the number of pixels that are used to display the column.
Note that it is possible to set a column to be ‘invisible’ by setting its width to be 0 (or a very small number that will not allow any text to be displayed).  To set a column back to visible after it has been made ‘invisible’, tap the menu option for ‘Show ‘Hidden’ Columns’ and all columns smaller than 10 pixels wide will be modified to display at 40 pixel column widths.
Horizontal Scrolling
Horizontal scroll buttons are at the top right of the Database View.  The first column is a non-scrollable column and any other visible column will now scroll left and right through the available fields.  Note that if you have the App Prefs feature checked for this (described above in the documentation) then the AddressBook and TodoList buttons also simulate the tapping of the left/right arrows at the top of the screen.
Filtering the Database
You can filter records in the database so that only records containing a particular string of characters is shown.  To accomplish this, select the Menu option in this screen for ‘Filter Records’.  A dialog box with a number of options is presented:
Field To Search:  This is allows you to choose which fields you would like to perform the filter operation on, so that that string must occur in a specific field to match the filter criteria.
Filter String: This field is where you input the string of characters you wish to filter on, as an example, a filter string of ‘apple’ would filter all records in the database that contain the word ‘apple’ in them.
Fields Must Begin:  This checkbox allows you to search for records that must begin with the search string. As an example, if ‘apple’ was the search string, then ‘apple a day’ would be filtered, while ‘where is the apple’ would not be filtered.
This is an ‘exclude’ filter:  This checkbox reverses the operation of the filter, so that only records NOT matching the filter string are displayed.
After you have selected your filter options, pressing the ‘Filter’ button will begin the sort process.  A ‘wait’ message will be displayed to begin the filtering process.  And you will be returned to the Database View with only those records matching the filter string displayed.  Moving through the records while viewing a filtered list may take a longer time that moving through records on an unfiltered list.
To remove a filter that is currently on the database, you may either select the menu option for ‘Show All Records’, or you may go back into the Filter Records screen, and tap the ‘Remove Filter’ button.
Advanced Filtering of a Database
A new option in JFile Pro is the Advanced Filter menu option.  This is intended to be used by those already familiar with the normal Filter screen in JFile Pro.  Because of its advanced nature, and in an effort to squeeze as much data onto the screen, it may be necessary to refer to this section before and during use of the Advanced Filter screen, until you become accustomed to the interface.
There are 5 filter specifications available on this screen, each one similar in usage as the primary Filter method in JFile Pro. The underlined line next to the number is the filter string itself, which you wish to search for.  Above this line is a drop box to pick which field (or all fields) that this filter string should be applied to.  To the right of the underlined area are two boxes – the ‘B’ box is checked will activate a ‘Field must BEGIN with’ specification for that filter string, and the ‘!’ box if checked acts as a ‘exclude’ filter (also known as a logical NOT).  Up to this point, if just using these, the usage is the same as a normal JFile Pro filter.
In between the filter strings though are two boxes – one AND box and one OR box – to let you decide if you want the specifications to require both (AND) or either (OR).  As an example if filter 1 string was ‘book’ and filter 2 string was ‘mark’, and you had the AND box checked, it would look for only those records that possessed both ‘book’ AND ‘mark’ in the field’s text.  Conversely if OR was checked, then all records containing either ‘book’ OR ‘mark’ in the field text would be filtered.  When using more than two field specifications, these AND/OR operators are applied in a top to bottom (left to right if going from field specification 1…5) order.  As in the following parenthetical function: RESULT = (((((1 AND/OR 2) AND/OR 3) AND/OR 4) AND/OR 5) 
Ranges – also available only in this advanced filter screen are ranged filters.  These are activated by placing a greater than or less than sign in front of the filter string.  As an example if you want to find all records with integer greater than 4500, the string would be ‘>4500’.  Note that ranges are only available for field types that are integer, floating point, or date formats, and that the associated field must be a single field (not the ‘All Fields’ selection.)
NOTES – The filter selection criteria for this screen is not saved from invocation to invocation.  
Advanced Sorting of the Database
Besides the normal sorting option in JFile Pro, you can also perform a more advanced sort, by selecting the ‘Sort Items’ menu option.  Adialog box will be presented that will allow you to choose up to 3 fields to sort on, each having an independent ability to sort normally or in reverse fashion.
Finding a Particular Record
If you are looking for a particular record in JFile Pro, you may search for it via the ‘Find’ button at the bottom of the Database View. You will be presented with a dialog box with a number of options:
Field To Search:  This is allows you to choose which fields you would like to perform the filter operation on, so that that string must occur in a specific field to match the filter criteria.
Find String: This field is where you input the string of characters you wish to filter on, as an example, a filter string of ‘apple’ would find records in the database that contain the word ‘apple’ in them.
Fields Must Begin:  This checkbox allows you to search for records that must begin with the search string. As an example, if ‘apple’ was the search string, then ‘apple a day’ would be found, while ‘where is the apple’ would not be found.
The ‘Find’ operation in JFile Pro differs from the Filter operation in that a Filter will ONLY show those records that match the Filter string.  A ‘Find’ on the other hand will move the first record that matches the Find criteria to the top of the Database View screen.  The ‘+’ button next to the ‘Find’ button at the bottom of the screen will perform a Find Next function, that will then move the next record matching the Find criteria to the top of the screen.
Deleting Record(s) in the Database
To delete a record in the database, tap the square ‘Del’ button at the bottom of the screen.  The button will then invert in color.  Then tap on the record you wish to delete.  A confirmation dialog box will appear, and then the record will be removed from the database.
Adding a New Record to the Database
To add a new record to the database,  tap the ‘Add’ button at the bottom of the screen.  This will create a new record in JFile Pro, and take you to the Record Level view in JFile Pro, detailed further below.
Moving Through the Database Records
For databases that contain more than 10 records, scroll bars appear on the right side of the JFile Pro screen.  You can use them to scroll quickly through the database records.  Alternative, the up and down hardware buttons at the bottom of the Palm unit may be used to scroll through the records a screen up or down at a time.
Printing A Database
Initial support for printing of JFile Pro databases to infrared and  serial printing devices (parallel too, with an appropriate cable) is available through the PalmPrint application from Stevens Creek Software (www.stevenscreek.com) .  Note that you must have PalmPrint installed on the Palm unit to take advantage of this.  To print the database, select the menu option of ‘Print Records’.  If a filter is activated, only those records in the current filter will print.
Record View
Editing Records
When viewing a record in JFile Pro (if the database is not read-only), you can edit any of the data in each field by selecting the underlined field, and then begin entering data via the normal Graffiti keystrokes.
Some field types has certain other methods available to edit the data of the record:
String Fields: string fields may also be editing in a separate dialog box, especially useful for large amounts of characters in the field, by tapping on the field name on the left hand side of the screen.
Popup Lists:  you can edit popup lists fields by manually entering the data into the field, or if you select the field name, the popup list itself will be shown to choose a selection from.
Date Fields:  you can edit date fields by manually entering the date via graffiti strokes, or by tapping on the field name to bring up a dialog box with the date picker.
Time Fields: you can edit time fields by manually entering the time via graffiti strokes, or by tapping on the field name to bring up a dialog box with the time picker.
Boolean Fields:  boolean fields (checkboxes) can only have two states, checked or unchecked, and clicking on the box will change the state from one to the other.
Viewing Fields That Contain Lengthy Data:
If you have a lot of data in one field (more than 200 characters usually), and it spills of the screen, JFile Pro allows you to view and edit the entire field by tapping on the field name (the left column).  You will be presented with a dialog box that allows easy viewing and editing of the larger text fields.
Adding Records To A Database:
While viewing a database, tap the 'Add' button.  You will be presented with a form showing the field names, and space to enter your data.  When finished editing your data, tap 'Done' to save the changes, 'Cancel' to cancel them, and 'Del' if you wish to delete the record from the database.
Changing the Editing Record Format
While editing a record, you can use the Menu options ‘Increase Field Width’ and ‘Decrease Field Widths’ to increase or  decrease the amount of space allotted to the data fields.  Each time you tap on the menu item the ‘data’ portion of the screen is incremented or decremented by 5 pixels in size.  This allows you to view more or less of the field names if the data is small, and vice versa if the data is large compared to the field names.
Exporting A Record to Memopad
There is a menu option of ‘Export to Memopad’.  When activated, this will create a new memo in the MemoPad application with the contents of the record as the memo itself.  Note that due to limitation in the Memopad application, each memo is limited to 4000 characters, and as a result, a record that is exported must also be under this 4000 character limit.
Printing a Record
Initial support for printing of JFile Pro individual records to infrared and  serial printing devices (parallel too, with an appropriate cable) is available through the PalmPrint application from Stevens Creek Software (www.stevenscreek.com) .  Note that you must have PalmPrint installed on the Palm unit to take advantage of this.  To print the record, select the menu option of ‘Print This Record’.
Duplicating a Record
To make a duplicate copy of a record in the database, select the ‘Duplicate Record’ menu option.  This will save the current record, and create an add an exact duplicate of that record to the database.
Moving Through Records
While viewing an individual record, you may move forward and backward through the records in the database in one of two ways.  You can tap the left/right arrows at the top right hand corner of the screen to move either to the previous or next record.  Alternatively you may also use the hardware up/down buttons to move to the previous or next record.
Miscellaneous
Using JFile Pro with Flash Rom
You can use JFile Pro .pdb databases in Flash ROM, in read-only mode, however you must be running the latest version of TRG's Flash Builder application.  Email TRG for the latest information on this application.
You can also place the JFile Pro application itself into FlashRom.
Using the JConvPro.exe Converter Application
To use the new Win 95,98/NT converter in normal Windows mode, double click on the jconvpro.exe file,and a window with the following buttons will be displayed:

'Convert JFile Pro .PDB to .CSV' - click this button to select which .pdb fileto convert into a .csv file.  The file created will be in the same directory as the .pdb file with a .csv suffix instead of the .pdb suffix.

'Convert JFile Pro .CSV to .PDB' - click this button to select which .csv file to convert into a .pdb file.  The file created will be in the same directory as the .csv file with a .pdb suffix instead of the .csv suffix.  You can then select this .pdb file to be installed on the next HotSync using the InstallApp tool that ships with the Palm Desktop.

Field Delimiters: you can choose whether the csv file is delimited with commas or semi-colons for non-US users.

Use/Create Info file: for conversions from .pdb->.csv format, if this box is checked an info file will also be create (with a .ifo suffix) that will save more of the parameters of the database (fields types, widths, password, etc).  Then when you convert back to .pdb from .csv format, you can check this box, and it will use that .ifo file as the format for the current data base.  The converter will look for an .ifo file with the same beginning file name as the .csv file but with the .ifo suffix.

Convert JFile .pdb to JFile Pro .pdb – discussed in next section.

To use the jconvpro.exe in command-line driven mode:

Command Line usage examples:

For csv->Jfile Pro use: 
jconvpro.exe 1 <input_file> <output_file> <database_name> <optional_info_file> 

Where:
<input_file> is the path and DOS filename of the .csv to convert
	examples: c:\temp\test.csv   or    test.csv
<output_file> is the path and DOS filename of the .pdb file to create
	examples: c:\temp\test.pdb   or    test.pdb
<database_name> is the name of the database that will appear on the Pilot
	examples: TestDB    or TestDatabase
<optional_info_file> is optional parameter, if you have an seperate
	'information' file saved for the this database.
	examples: c:\temp\test.ifo   or   test.ifo

For JFile Pro->csv use: 
jconvpro.exe 2 <input_file> <output_file> <optional_info_file>

<input_file> is the path and DOS filename of the .pdb to convert
	examples: c:\temp\test.csv   or    test.csv
<output_file> is the path and DOS filename of the .csv file to create
	examples: c:\temp\test.pdb   or    test.pdb
<optional_info_file> is optional parameter, if you would like to create
	an 'info' file containing formatting and such from the database
	examples: c:\temp\test.ifo   or   test.ifo

NOTE:
Keep in mind that once you convert a file from csv to pdb, if you want to send it to your Pilot, you will need to use the hotsync install tool, which is discussed further in the Pilot documentation.
CSV (Comma Seperated Value) File Format
- top line is the field names, each seperated by a comma
- each following line is a record, each field seperated by a comma
The fields may be enclosed in quotes which will be removed prior to conversion to JFile .pdb format.
Converting JFile 3.x Databases into JFile Pro Format
Click the ‘Convert JFile .pdb to JFile Pro .pdb’ button to select which JFile .pdb file to convert into a JFile Pro .pdb file.  If successful, a dialog box will come up and inform you of the complete conversion..  You can then select this .pdb file to be installed on the next HotSync using the InstallApp tool that ships with the Palm Desktop, and the database should then appear in the JFile Pro application.  Note that the new JFile Pro .pdb file will be suffixed with a “Pro” designation, as will the Database Name itself to help ease in the transition from JFile to JFile Pro format.  You are free to change the database name once the database is on the Palm unit.
Advance IFO File Usage and Formatting
The following explanation may be a bit complex to read through at first, but by looking at an example when you convert from .pdb to .csv WITH an info file, you can see how it all works together.  
There is also no REQUIREMENT to use or to ever modify the info file you create.

First Line: contains a number representing the type for each field.  NOTE: there must be 1 number for each field on this line
types are as follows:
 1 = string
 2 = boolean
 4 = date
 8 = int
16 = float
32 = time
64 = popup list
65 = creation date
66 = creation time
67 = integer with increment counter
73 = modification date
80 = modification time
81 = popup list allowing multiple popup items

example: for a database with 7 fields, of type: string, boolean, date, popup list, int, float, popup list in that order would look like:
1 2 4 64 8 16 64 

Second Line: contains the width of each field when displaying in the columnal overall database view, must be 0-160, and contain one number for each field.
example: for a database with 7 fields each of width 80:
80 80 80 80 80 80 80 

Third Line: contains the width of the 'data' field (in pixels) for the editing view of the database (should be in the 20 to 140 range)

example: for a database with a data width of 90 pixel:
90 

Fourth Line: contains which column is displayed next to the 'non-movable' first 
column in the database view (range of 1 to 19 - 0 = first field, 1 = 
second field, etc)

example: to display the second field as the first movable column (this 
is the normal beginning view):
1

Fifth Line: contains a integer representing a series of bits for the database preferences.  For a complete and updated list of these preferences, feel free to email Land-J Technologies at support@land-j.com and request the latest developer documentation for JFile Pro. 

Sixth Line and Seventh Line: each line contains a series of digits which represent ‘extra data’  associated with each field type, such as current increment counter and increment amount for the field type of Auto-Increment.  As above, please email Land-J Technologies if you are interested in an updated list of the possible values of these two lines.

Eighth Line: this line contains a hexidecimal token string to signal the end of this section of JFile information, the token string needs to end with the following hex string:
456E644A46696C654461746100
Future updates to JFile will allow the usage of binary data to be stored in the AppInfo section as well, and any such data will be converted to hexidecimal and placed prior to the above token string on line 8 of the ifo file.

Nineth Line and on...: contains the entries in the popup lists, each item goes on a line of its own.  List are prefixed with the string "popupX" where X is the letter of the alphabet corresponding to the field number of the associated popup list (ie. a = 1, b = 2, etc...)

example: 
the following lines are an example with a popup list for field 'd' which
is the 4th field, and a popup list for field 'g' which is 7th popup field

popupd
a
bb
cc
and
here
we are
popupg
1
11
33333
4444

Be sure to follow this format if you are creating or modifying such info files manually instead of letting the jconvpro.exe program handle them.  
Other Methods to Move Data Between JFile Pro and a PC or Mac
Many third party utility programs are also available to move data between JFile and a PC or JFile and  Mac computer.  For the latest such list of utilities, see the ‘Links’ section of the following web page: http://www.land-j.com/jfile.html