pToolSet Manual

NOTE. This very same manual can be found online here (HTML) and here (text). You can also download them from here (HTML) and here (text).

NOTE.If your Palm OS is 4.x or older, then please read 00README_preOS5.txt and 00README_pToolButtonsPro.txt which are included in the pToolSet distribution.

NOTE. If you run Palm OS 5.0+, then please read 00README_OS5.txt and 00README_pToolButtonsPro.txt which are included in the pToolSet distribution.

WARNING

Since pedit, LapTopHack, and pToolSet share components, if you use more than one of them, then they all must be of the same version, preferably the latest one.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Downloading pToolSet
  • pToolSet vs. pToolSet demo
• Version Information and Recent Changes
• Installation
• Registering pToolSet
• Technical Support
• Troubleshooting
• Spelling pToolSet
• Online Help in pToolSet
• Using pToolSet
  • pToolOn
  • pToolOff
  • pToolZapper
  • pToolButtons
  • pMasterTool and pToolPrefs
  • pAddressTool
  • pControlTool
  • pDateTool
  • pFindTool
  • pInfoTool
  • The pLaunchTool collection
    • pLaunchList
    • pLaunchTool
    • pDeskAccList
    • pDeskAccTool
    • pLaunchEngine1
    • pLaunchEngine2
  • pMemoTool
  • pPointerTool and pGraffitiTool
  • pRotatorTool
  • The pScriptTool collection
    • pScriptEngine3
    • pScriptButtons
    • The pScriptRunner mini-applications
  • pSearchTool and pReplaceTool
  • pSharedEngines
  • pTipsTool
  • pToDoTool
  • pTextTool
    • pTextEngine1
    • pTextEngine2
    • pEditTool
    • pMagiPad
    • pScriptPad
    • pAsciiTool
    • pSortTool
    • pWordCountTool
• External Keyboards and Thumbboards
• List Navigation
• Compatibility Issues
• Known Bugs
• Fixed Bugs
• Unknown Bugs
• Frequently Asked Questions
  • pToolSetPro
• Disclaimer and Legal Statement
• Acknowledgement
• Closure
• More from PaulComputing
• Development History
  • Recent Changes

Introduction

pToolSet is a collection of tools for all Palm Powered handhelds that are at your disposal without quitting your current application.

For instance, pToolSet allows you to find out essential data such as date, time, and battery status with a stroke of the stylus. It also allows you to create DateBook and ToDo items on-the-fly. You can use pToolSet's powerful text editing capabilities in any application that uses text, including all the built-in ones.

The following screen shoots give a few illustrations of what pToolSet can be used for.

pToolSet is the OS 3.5+ equivalent of HackMaster extensions. The latter are going to be no longer available under the upcoming OS 5 whereas pToolSet will exploit the power of the Palm OS for years to come. Whether you are a "newbie" or and "expert", you will soon find out that pToolSet is one of the most useful pieces of software ever written for Palm Powered handhelds.

Downloading pToolSet

You can download the demo version of pToolSet via PaulComputing's web page [this is it]. The demo version is also included in PaulComputing's master package.

You can't directly download the registered version of pToolSet. However, all registered users will always be given instructions how to obtain the latest registered version.

pToolSet vs. pToolSet demo

The demo version of pToolSet is almost fully functional except that it has the following additional features. Most of the modules work perfectly as applications but, if they are used as Operating System Extensions, then occasionally they put up a friendly message on the screen reminding you to register pToolSet. Once you see this message, the current operation may be aborted. Moreover, some functions of pToolSet may be missing from the demo version. In addition, registered users will always get notified of the latest releases that are expected to happen quite frequently.

In order to make your pToolSet trial more pleasant, the demo version of pToolSet nags you only on weekdays.

Installing the demo version over a registered version will delete the latter and vice versa.

Version Information and Recent Changes

Information on PaulComputing's software versions is here and on recent changes is here.

Installation

pToolSet runs on all Palm Powered handhelds with operating systems [OS] at least 3.5, and they are not compatible with OSs older than 3.1. Certain components of pToolSet are usable with OSs 3.1+ although their full potential is not going to be seen with OSs under 3.5.

pToolSet is a collection of applications consisting of pToolOn (aka pToolSetOn), pToolOff (aka pToolSetOff), pToolZapper (aka pToolSetZapper), a special database called pToolButtonsPro [and another called pToolButtons], and other components called "modules". The latter may be be self-contained applications such as pInfoTool or just pieces of codes such as pEditTool which are a part of one of the self-contained applications. To install all the components of pToolSet, just use the regular Palm installation process via HotSync. However, please read the section on using pToolSet for certain caveats and for more details.

pToolSet also consists of various "engines" which are essentially libraries housing either shared or module specific functions.

The primary difference between "modules" and "engines" is that the latter can be deleted and installed without using pToolOn (aka pToolSetOn and pToolOff (aka pToolSetOff).

NOTE. Exceptions exist. For instance, pScriptEngine1 and pScriptEngine2 should be treated as modules as far as installation and deletion goes. As of February 24, 2007, these are the only exceptions but I can't predict the future. To be on the safe side, if you prefer tinkering with pToolSet and want to avoid the less flexible commands of pToolZapper, always do a sequence pToolOff, delete/install modules/engines, and then pToolOn.

NOTE. It is not necessary to install all modules and engines. Just pick those that you want to use. However, always install the latest version of pToolOn, pToolOff, and pToolButtonsPro [pToolButtons]. In addition, please use the latest versions of all modules and engines as well. All components of pToolSet interact with each other. Therefore, they all need to have the same version number and compilation time'n'date.

NOTE. pToolSet will usually, but not always, tell you if some of your modules need a correcponding engine installed.

NOTE. The installation of pToolZapper is purely optional. However, please keep it handy all the time since it allows you to delete individual pToolSet components with the least amount of hassle and inconvenience.

NOTE. I always install everything, including pToolButtonsPro, except pToolButtons. Do not use pToolButtons unless you want to stick to the very basic feature of pToolSet. Do not confuse "pToolButtons" with "pToolButtonsPro".

NOTE. The applications pToolsOn, pToolsOff, and DateVolt have been replaced by pToolOn [no "s", aka pToolSetOn], pToolOff [no "s", aka pToolSetOn], and pInfoTool, respectively. If you still have any of the obsolete pToolsOn, pToolsOff, and pDateVolt on your Palm Powered handheld, then, prior to installing the latest pToolSet, you should install pToolZapper all by itself [it is part of the latest pToolSet package], and run it with the delete all pToolSet modules box checked and the zap assoc prefs option used with the no push button. This will delete all your pToolSet modules but it will leave your saved pToolSet preferences untouched.

WARNING. If you use version 7.xx or newer of any of the pedits, LapTopHack, or pToolSet, then all your pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet must be 7.xx or newer since they are not compatible with version 6.xx or older.

In addition, since pedit, LapTopHack, and pToolSet constantly exchange information, it may be necessary that they be of the same version number.

NOTE. I suggest that you keep a backup copy of your peditDB.pdb which is somewhere in your HotSync backup directory on your desktop computer since you may need it in the highly unlikely event that you decide go back to versions 6.xx of pedit, pToolSet, and LapTopHack.

Registering pToolSet

The demo version of pToolSet is free and requires no registration.

The registration fee for the registered version of pToolSet is US$14.00.

Occasionally you may get a discount if you register it via PaulComputing's website.

Registered users will always get notified of the latest releases which are expected to happen quite frequently.

If you honestly cannot afford the registration fee but you must have my Palm products anyway, then please contact me for discount rates.

PayPal is the strongly preferred, easiest, and fastest way to register pToolSet. Please register

at PayPal right now.

A working alternative is to mail a check for US$14.00 to Paul Nevai, 3346 Mansion Way, Columbus OH 43221-1573, USA. Please include your e-mail or your mailing address if you have no e-mail.

You can also register pToolSet at eSellerate: browse all, pToolSet.

Technical Support

First, please read the section about troubleshooting.

Second, if the advice given in the section on troubleshooting did not solve your problem, then please contact me.

Please state clearly the version number and compilation time'n'date of your pToolSet, the exact name of your Palm Powered handheld hardware, the version number of you Palm operating system, and please describe the problem you have experienced.

If you live in North America, please provide your phone number, your time zone, and the times that are convenient for you.

Please note that you can also obtain help by contacting the peditors Forum. In fact, as it turns out, the collective mind of all peditors works better than mine alone. Therefore, in most if not all cases, it makes sense to e-mail to the peditors Forum prior to contacting me.

On the advice of JohnH, I recommend that you use the following template when contacting me.

DO: Your Name (yourname@yourisp.com) year/month/day [such as 2001/09/11]
Short description of the problem such as "I start up peditPro and my Palm crashes."
Application: [LapTopHack | peditPro | pToolSet etc.]
Version: [such as 6.02]
Compilation time'n'date: [11:01:43 EST on Jan 19 2002]
Handheld hardware: [such as TRGPro]
PalmOS version: [such as 3.5.1]
Other hardware (keyboard, expansion memory, etc.):
Free memory: [such as 2Mb]
Other HackMaster extensions active: [such as FitalyStamp]
Other OS patching applications: [such as QuickBits]
Steps to reproduce: [you must include the settings of all check boxes and selection triggers]
Debug message: [see below]
Other comments: [such as "I love your stuff"]

You can find out the version number and the compilation time'n'date by bringing up the version info dialog. You do the latter by selecting the Version Info command in the Options menu, or by entering "V" [upper case "V"].

Troubleshooting

First, please read the section about compatibility issues.

Second, turn off all your other HackMaster extensions and see if the problem goes away. If it did, then turn on your HackMaster extensions one by one and isolate the problem. Once you identified the guilty party, please contact their technical support and explain the problem. I know from personal experience that most Palm developers provide superior support.

However, there are some exceptions. If you happen to experience the latter, then please be persistent. It may help your case if you send a copy of your correspondence to the peditors Forum and to some of the Palm related newsgroups such as comp.sys.palmtops.pilot and alt.comp.sys.palmtops.pilot.

You may also try Calvin's PGHQ FAQ. Much of my Palm knowledge comes from studying this FAQ database.

Next, check out the peditors Forum or write to peditors Forum since, as I mentioned it already, the collective mind of all peditors works better than mine alone.

If the problem still persists then contact pToolSet's technical support.

QUESTION. In some applications I get crashes. What is going on?

ANSWER. Most likely you are facing a stack overflow problem as a result of too many things being done at the same time. I suggest that you contact the developers of the software under consideration and explain them the situation. Most likely the software is either not managing memory properly or the stack is too small [or both]. If the problem originates from an application and not from a HackMaster extension or an Operating System Extension, then your developer can easily fix the problem by adding a proper 'pref' resource with the right setting to the application. In addition, TealMemBrain can also salvage the situation most of the time so that you don't need to depend on your developer's time schedule.

HINT. Use pInfoTool or TealMemBrain to check the free/used/total stack space in your application. I recommend that you set the size of your problematic application's stack space to 8K that is equal to 8,192 bytes [0x2000]. This advice works only if your Palm OS is at least 3.0. However, I have yet to see a non-newbie Palm user with a Palm OS under 3.0 on her primary Palm Powered handheld.

QUESTION. What is a stack anyway?

ANSWER. Excellent question. First, "officially" it is called "application stack space". Second, you could start, for instance, with the manual of TealMemBrain, and then move to here or here. In short, it is a small portion of your regular RAM where many of the computations take place.

QUESTION. My command toolbar icon is not showing up. What happened and how can I fix it?

ANSWER. Most likely you forgot to read 00README_1st.txt, and, therefore, you have not followed these instructions. The solution is very easy, First, run pToolZapper with the delete all pToolSet modules box checked and the zap assoc prefs option used with the no push button. Second, perform a soft [pin] reset of your Palm Powered handheld. Third, repeat the first step two more times. Fourth, reinstall the latest version of pToolSet.

Spelling pToolSet

pToolSet (cf. here).

Online Help in pToolSet

In almost every dialog online help is available via the Help and/or i-Tips buttons and/or by typing "?" and/or "ESC ?" and/or "H" and/or by pressing the Help list item, depending on the individual circumstances.

If pTipsTool and pToolButtonsPro are installed, then in almost every online help dialog there is incremental, forward, and backward case-blind search capability, full keyboard and Graffiti support, and other useful features. Please see pTipsTool for the details.

Using pToolSet

pToolSet is a collection of applications consisting of pToolOn (aka pToolSetOn), pToolOff (aka pToolSetOff), pToolZapper (aka pToolSetZapper), a special database called pToolButtons, and other components called "modules". The latter may be be self-contained applications such as pInfoTool or just pieces of codes such as pEditTool which are a part of one of the self-contained applications.

Most of the modules have a double duty life. They can act as regular applications or as Operating System Extensions.

• pToolOn turns on pToolSet's modules. Under normal circumstances you never need to use pToolOn. It should run automatically after each reset and HotSync. However, if you use third party tools to install your files, then you may need to run pToolOn to turn on the modules of pToolSet. For instance, if you play with pToolSet on POSE [Palm Operating System Emulator], then you need to run pToolOn after you installed any pToolSet module.
• pToolOff turns off all pToolSet modules, including pToolOn. While a pToolSet module is turned on, you can't delete it. Hence, if you wish to delete a pToolSet module, you must run pToolOff prior to deleting the module. After you deleted the selected pToolSet module, you need to run pToolOn manually to turn on the remaining pToolSet modules.

• pToolZapper allows you to delete individual pToolSet components and all pSharedEngines with the least amount of hassle and inconvenience. Although you can delete any of the pToolSet components manually if you follow the rules below, I still recommend that you use pToolZapper since then the probability of making mistakes is reduced to zero for all practical purposes.
  • Choosing zap assoc prefs with the yes option, will also delete the saved preferences of those components which are themselves deleted.
  • Choosing zap assoc prefs with the no option, will keep the saved preferences of those components which are themselves deleted.
  • Choosing zap assoc prefs with the only option, will delete the saved preferences of those components which are checked but will not delete the components themselves.
  • The More button allows you to delete all pSharedEngines. Please keep in mind that pSharedEngines are used by both pToolSet and LapTopHack.
  • In addition, pToolSet lends several of its components to LapTopHack such as pDateTool, pSearchTool, and pToDoTool.
  • Don't forget to explore pToolZapper's menu commands.
  • Please use the Help or the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pToolZapper [see here].
  NOTE. Since pToolSet constantly evolves, so does pToolZapper. Therefore, the above picture may not be up-to-date.
• pToolButtons is a necessary [silent] component of pToolSet. You don't need to worry about it except that you must install it alongside with the other modules.
  NOTE. Regarding pToolButtonsPro, please see 00README_pToolButtonsPro.txt and 00README_preOS5.txt and/or 00README_OS5.txt. You must install only one of pToolButtons and pToolButtonsPro and not both. Do not use pToolButtons unless you want to stick to the very basic feature of pToolSet.
  • In order to delete pToolOn and pToolButtons, you must run pToolOff first.
  • pToolOff may be deleted without running pToolOff first. However, I recommend to keep them on your Palm Powered handheld unless you want to delete all pToolSet modules.
  • pToolOn and pToolButtons must reside in your regular RAM or flash ROM and should not be placed on an external expansion card.
  • pToolOff may be kept on an external expansion card although it is such a small application that there will not be much memory gain by doing so. I suggest keeping it in the regular RAM or flash ROM. If you choose the latter, then please do not forget to delete it prior to installing a fresh copy of pToolOff. Hence, the safest bet is to keep pToolOff in the regular RAM.
  • Each module has its own rules as to whether it is external expansion card compatible. However, even in case of compatibility, there will be a significant performance degradation if kept on an external expansion card.

• pMasterTool is a pToolSet module. It is the launching pad of all other pToolSet modules. In order to use pMasterTool, your Palm's OS must be at least 3.5.
  • You can use pMasterTool as a regular application if your Palm OS is at least 3.1. pMasterTool shows up as pToolPrefs in your Palm application launcher.
    • As an application, pMasterTool, that is, pToolPrefs, can be used to set all the pToolSet preferences, and it is equivalent to the "pToolSet Prefs" command of pMasterTool when used as an Operating System Extension.
    • Use the pToolSet preferences to set various optional features of pToolSet which are operational only if pToolButtonsPro.prc has been installed on your Palm Powered handheld.
    • Here is a partial list of special actions which can be assigned to various buttons and/or strokes and/or taps: no special action, disable all actions, cancel all actions, current pMasterTool, built-in pMasterTool, pAddressTool, pAsciiTool, pControlTool, pDateTool, pDeskAccList, pDeskAccTool, pEditTool, pFindTool, pGraffitiTool, pInfoTool, pLaunchList, pLaunchTool, pMemoTool, pPointerTool, pRotatorTool, pSearchTool, pScriptTool, pScriptButtons, pSortTool, pTextTool, pTodoTool, pMagiPad, pScriptPad, calendar, data lookup, Palm Prefs, Palm Sound Prefs, turn WiFi on, turn WiFi off, toggle WiFi, screen portrait, screen landscape, rotate screen, turn DIA on, turn DIA off, toggle DIA, flush S[ilent] DBCache, flush V[erbose] DBCache, open prev appl, open peditXXX, open AddrList, open DateBook, open MemoPad, open TaskList, open XXX, play XXX, copy text [32K], cut text [32K], paste text, select all text, export all text, export selection, export clipboard, paste date, paste time, paste date'n'time, change case, rotate case, insert char, rotate font, toggle ruler, rotate ruler, word count, power off, tap action button, tap HOME button, tap MENU button, tap CALC button, tap FIND button, tap ABC button, tap 123 button, tap CLOCK button, toggle BackLight, adjust brightness, older brightness [similar to "adjust brightness" except it is meant for older Palms, it also is identical to toggle BackLight on some Palms], adjust contrast, command toolbar, pMasterTool #X, pScriptTool #X, pMagiPad #X, pScriptPad #X, XX: open my appl, run pScript_XX, and so forth.
      NOTE. The "my Apps" button is used to customize the "open my appl" special actions. The rules by which these applications are launched are explained in the section about the pLaunchTool collection and in pedit's manual where the "/&launch [...]" pFunction is discussed [see here].
      NOTE. The "SpecActIDs" button is used for the "/&specAct [...]" pFunction [see pedit's manual for details].
      NOTE. All special actions involving the DIA, screen rotation, and WiFi have numerous [harmless] glitches since the Palm OS was not meant to accommodate manipulation of the control bar [aka status bar] programmatically. In particular, neither the DIA [dynamic input area] nor the screen rotation actions are sticky and they tend to revert once the current window changes.
      NOTE. The "open XXX" and "play XXX" special actions are preprogrammed to launch certain popular applications which fit the key word XXX. If your favorite one doesn't get launched, contact 2me@PaulComputing.com with the exact name of your application and its creator ID [use a file manager utility], and the developer's website. I might add support for it. Please do not recommend obsolete and non-mainstream applications.
      NOTE. The command "cancel all actions" is only useful as a button action command. It acts as "disable all actions".
      NOTE. If you assign special actions taps to the left-hand and right-hand sides of the display screen, then pToolSet will ignore these special action requests if the current screen has a scrollbar, or text field, or a similar object which could cause conflict with those taps. To some extent the same is true with taps on the top and the bottom of the display screen although the built-in tolerance is more relaxed.
      NOTE. You will get a visual feedback for display screen taps associated with special actions. This will help you to learn the location of the sweet spots. If the size the display screen of your Palm Power handheld can be changed on-the-fly, such as the Tungsten T3's, then the location of the sweet spots may change too. In other words, for instance, "2nd fourth" refers to the second fourth of the current width/height of the display screen.
      NOTE. Under certain circumtances, certain Graffiti area special action tap sweet spots are ignored on certain Palm Power handhelds. For instance, on a Tungsten T3, when the display screen is normal sized, then special action taps in the Graffiti area are ignored, since there is no way to determine whether you have the normal Graffiti area shown or the virtual keyboard is there. However, the special action strokes still work as usual.
    • Please see here and here for the details.
    • In particular,
      • The difference between the current pMasterT and the built-in pMasterT special actions is that the latter brings up the default pMasterTool which is built into pToolSet no matter which customized pMasterTool was last selected.
      • If you assign the special action power off to a button in the "press only" mode, then you will not be able to turn on your Palm Powered handheld using that button since it will turn itself off immediately.
      • The special action run pScript_XX performs the first pScript which is located after the tag [bookmark] pScript_XX in pScriptPad.
        EXAMPLE. ... pScript_08 blahblah {mess::/&mess@[@@pScript_08@@,,]}
        Please see pedit's manual [see here online] for details on pScripting.
  • You can activate pMasterTool as an Operating System Extension via the command toolbar.
    • You can bring up the command toolbar by a Graffiti stroke which is similar to a forward slash "/" starting at the bottom of "/".
    • The button in the command toolbar with a "P" and a "house" [home] symbol on it is the pMasterTool activator button. It is usually located at the very right position of the command toolbar.
    • Treo devices have no built-in method to display the command toolbar, but it looks like it is included in the Treo Palm operating system and can be brought up with some third party applications using key presses.
      If you do not have one of these applications installed you can activate pMasterTool as an Operating System Extension, which is the launcher for pToolSet modules and special actions, using a screen tap, a hard button press and hold, or the ESC key mechanism, as follows. Launch the pToolPrefs application. Check on the "buttons" and "taps" check boxes. Select the "Taps" button. Select the long box under "pick tap pattern:" and select "BOTTOM border of DisplayScreen". Select the box next to "LAST FOURTH" and select "current pMasterT". Select OK and OK. Now a screen tap in the right fourth of the screen bottom edge will launch pMasterTool as the extension. Another practical choice is the "LAST FOURTH" of the "RIGHT border of DisplayScreen".
      Similarly, using the "Buttons" button in pToolPrefs you can designate a press-and-hold of one of the hard buttons to activate pMasterTool.
      To use the ESC key mechanism, launch pToolPrefs and check on the "use ESC key" box. Put an infrequently used lower case letter such as "z", or one of the opt button characters such as "+" in the highlighted space. When you press the letter key once, or press opt plus key simultaneously, pMasterTool will launch. To type the character press the letter key a second time, or press opt and character in sequence rather than simultaneously.
      NOTE. The above information on Treos is valid as of January of 2008, but, of course, it is subject to change.
      NOTE. It was JohnM who suggested [and wrote] this advice.
  • You can also activate pMasterTool via LapTopHack either by entering "ESC S" [upper case "S"] or by tapping the tap firmly on the very right edge in the middle third of your Palm's Graffiti area, just to the right from [and between] the "CALC" and "FIND" SilkScreen buttons [see the "Graffiti area hot spots" and the "undocumented features" sections in LapTopHack's manual]. This is especially useful when the command toolbar is not available such as the "Prefs" [Preferences] application.
  • Don't forget to explore pMasterTool's menu commands which can be invoked by entering "!", or by a tap in the upper left corner of the screen, or by using the menu button.
  • If you use a keyboard, then the list navigation rules will help you in picking your command.
  • Even if you are not using a keyboard, some of the list navigation rules will come handy.
  • In particular...
    • If you are in regular search mode and you have "x: command name", then entering the case-significant "x" selects and activates the item.
    • If you are in regular search mode and you have "x: command name" or simply "command name", then entering the lower cased version of the first letter of the command name selects the item but does not activate it.
    • The RETURN and the 5-way navigator SELECT keys activate the currently selected item.
    • You can cancel pMasterTool by tapping on the screen outside the list [but not around the edge of the screen] or by entering "." [period].
    • See here for more ways to cancel.
  • Please use the help command for additional advice on using pMasterTool.
  • In particular...
    • Enter "V" [upper case] to see the version number and the compilation time'n'date of pMasterTool.
    • In addition...
      • The Opt menu's "Auto pEditTool on|off" menu command allows to invoke pEditTool transparently when editing attached notes and certain similar text items in Palm OS and third party appications. Try out this command with DateBk4 or DateBk5.
      • The Opt menu's "Left-Handed Palm on|off" menu command fixes the non-sticky left-handedness Palm OS bug; see, e.g., here or google "palm handedness" for details.
      • See here for details on the Opt menu's "Low-Case ListNav Fix on|off" menu command.
      • The calendar command allows you to browse your Palm Powered handheld's built-in calendar. Unless you quit via the "Cancel" button, the picked day's datestamp will be either pasted into your current editable text field at the current cursor position or text selection if such a text field exists, or else it will be placed onto the ClipBoard. If you pick today, then the datestamp includes the current time too as in "2002/07/15 10:11:27" [date'n'time], whereas otherwise it consists of the date only as in "2002/07/15". The datestamp uses the preferences set in the "Formats" Preference Panel.
      • The data lookup command allows you to add phone numbers and similar information from your Address (aka Address Book) database to your currently focused and editable text field.
        NOTE. The data lookup command cannot be used if the current application has already opened up the Address database with write access. Examples of such applications include "DateBk" and even the built-in "Address".
      • The Toggle BackLight command turns on and off the backlight on some but not all Palm Powered handhelds.
      • The Invert BackLight command inverts [reverses] the backlight on some but not all Palm Powered handhelds. It is equivalent to the "shortcut .8" command. You will see the change the next time you turn on the backlight.
      • See here for details on the flush S[ilent] DBCache/ and flush V[erbose] DBCache.
      • The switch pMasterT command displays the built-in pMasterTool and all customizable pMasterTool lists whether or not they have already been customized unless their names have not yet been changed from their built-in default "pMasterTool - #X" or they start with "." [period]. The latter two types are hidden although they can be fully accessed via the pMasterT Prefs command where they can be both customized and renamed.
      • In addition...
        • The pMasterTool #X special actions allow to start up pMasterTool using buttons/strokes/taps with the customizable pMasterTool #X loaded.
        • The current pMasterT special action allows to start up pMasterTool using buttons/strokes/taps with the last used customizable pMasterTool loaded.
        • The built-in pMasterT special action allows to start up pMasterTool using buttons/strokes/taps with the default pMasterTool loaded.
      • The pMasterT on left, pMasterT centered, and pMasterT on right commands allow you to display pMasterTool on the left/center/right portionof the screen of your Palm Powered handheld. pMasterTool remembers the position you last selected.
      • Please read about pMagiPad [aka magiPad] and pScriptPad [aka scriptPad] in pedit's manual [see here online and here online].
        NOTE. The "Copy'n'Paste" command [see also the "QopyPaste" and "QopyExit" buttons] a la pedit and LapTopHack works in pMagiPad and pScriptPad only and not in pEditTool, and only if there is a current text selection.
        • First, it copies the current text selection to the ClipBoard and exits pMagiPad or pScriptPad.
        • If there is no currently focused and editable text field in the current dialog, then "Copy'n'Paste" stops at this step.
        • Second, it either replaces the current text selection by the contents of the ClipBoard, or, if there is no such text selection, then pastes the contents of the ClipBoard at the current cursor position.
        • Third, depending on the choice you made with the Copy'n'Paste Selects on|off command in the Pad menu, either the newly pasted text will be shown highlighted, or the cursor will be placed right after the pasted text.
        NOTE. Use the Copy'n'Paste Selects on|off command in the the Pad menu to control whether the Copy'n'Paste command will also select the pasted text in your memo or else it will just place the cursor after the pasted text. NOTE. Certain pEditTool operations such as Save Text and Restore Text are not available in pMagiPad and pScriptPad.
      • The "pScript /&menu@[ID] on" menu command allows to create pScripts "pScript_XX {menu:://&menu@ [menuID]}" by selecting a menu command.
    • In Palm OS 5+, as an optional feature, after 15 seconds of inactivity, pMasterTool quits on its own.
    • Please see here, here, and here for more details.

• pAddressTool is under [?permanent?] construction...

• pControlTool allows to activate buttons, check boxes, lists, and so forth, via keyboards by typing the first letter or the first few letters of the control structure label.
  • If the text entry field is blank or says "!enter label here!" then RETURN activates the "default button".

    NOTE. The "default button" is defined in some mysterious way and it might not be the button that you expect it to be. Hence, do not rely on it unless you know in advance what will happen.

  • pControlTool has full 5-way navigator support.
  • RETURN = ";" = 5-way navigator select/right = ;Go button
  • "," [comma] = 5-way navigator left = ,Cncl [= Cancel] button
  • page up = 5-way navigator up = up arrow = move pControlTool upward
  • page down = 5-way navigator down = down arrow = move pControlTool downward
  • Please type ":" [colon] or use the "pControlTool Help" menu command for onboard help when in pControlTool.

• pDateTool is a pToolSet module which can create DateBook [aka appointment] items in Palm's built-in "Date Book" application without quitting your current application. In addition, pDateTool provides many more options than the "Date Book" application.
  • You can use pDateTool as a regular application if your Palm OS is at least 3.1.
  • You can activate pDateTool as an Operating System Extension via pMasterTool if your Palm OS is at least 3.5.
    • You can bring up the command toolbar by a Graffiti stroke which is similar to a forward slash "/" starting at the bottom of "/".
    • The button in the command toolbar with a "P" and a "house" [home] symbol on it is the pMasterTool activator button. It is usually located at the very right position of the command toolbar.
  • pDateTool has full 5-way navigator support.
  • pDateTool has full pRotatorTool support.
  • Don't forget to explore pDateTool's menu commands.
  • The Toggle AddMode menu command allows you to switch between the "Add New Item and Stay in pDateTool" and "Add New Item and Exit" modes. pDateTool remembers the settings of the current AddMode.
  • If you are in the "Add New Item and Stay" mode, after you successfully added a new item, the item field becomes focused and the current text gets highlighted. This facilitates creating another item.
  • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pDateTool [see here and here].
  • The Start: and Length: labels are, in fact, buttons. Try them out and see the i-Tips button for an explanation.
  • pDateTool uses the same ESC key concept as pedit and LapTopHack except that pDateTool's ESC key can be configured on the fly and there is a visual feedback mechanism.
  • pDateTool cannot be used if the current application has already opened up the "Date Book" database with write access. Examples of such applications include "DateBk" and even the built-in "Date Book".
    NOTE. I was told that some of the older versions of "DateBk" open up the "Date Book" database with some delay so that you may be able to open up pDateTool in them. However, such an action may lead to a spectacular albeit innocent crash.
  • pDateTool may be deleted without running pToolOff first.
  • pDateTool must reside in your regular RAM or flash ROM. If you choose the latter, then please do not forget to delete it prior to installing a fresh copy of pDateTool. Hence, the safest bet is to keep pDateTool in the regular RAM.

• pFindTool is a pToolSet module which is an OS 5+ compatible cousin, and, in a sense, advanced version, of superFinderHack. pFindTool is a replacement for the Palm OS built-in SilkScreen "FIND" command, and, compared to the SilkScreen "FIND" command, it is certainly "feature rich".
  NOTE. pFindTool is an intelligent front-end for the built-in SilkScreen "FIND" command [or superFinderHack, if installed]. pFindTool simply passes on the search string to the currently active "FIND" command, and the actual search is performed by the latter.
  NOTE. If your Palm Powered handheld's OS version is older than 5.0, then I recommend that you use superFinderHack in addition to pFindTool since the former is much more powerful. pFindTool implements as many of superFinderHack's features as it is possible in Palm OS 5+. I can assure you that superFinderHack and pFindTool can happily co-exist.
  • You can use pFindTool as a regular application if your Palm OS is at least 3.1 but then it is only partially useful.
  • You can activate pFindTool as an Operating System Extension via pMasterTool if your Palm OS is at least 3.5.
    • You can bring up the command toolbar by a Graffiti stroke which is similar to a forward slash "/" starting at the bottom of "/".
    • The button in the command toolbar with a "P" and a "house" [home] symbol on it is the pMasterTool activator button. It is usually located at the very right position of the command toolbar.
  • pFindTool has full 5-way navigator support.
  • pFindTool has full pRotatorTool support.
  • Don't forget to explore pFindTool's menu commands. In particular...
    • Use the Set ListNav Mode... menu command to pick the default list navigation [search] mode in various pFindTool lists.
    • The Force ListNav Mode on|off menu command allows pLaunchTool's list navigation mode to override pMasterTool's global "Low-Case ListNav Fix" setting.
  • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pFindTool [see here].
  • The Find: label is, in fact, a button. Try it out and see the i-Tips button for an explanation.
  • A few words about saving search strings...
    • pFindTool automatically saves 128 [only 2 in the demo version] of your most recent search strings which you can recall instantaneously by tapping on the recent [ESC R] selection trigger.
    • In addition, you can manually save another 128 [only 2 in the demo version] of your favorite strings by tapping on the AddFav [ESC a, Add Favorite] button. You can recall the latter by tapping on the favorite [ESC F] selection trigger.
    • Both string saving methods work on a FIFO basis, that is, "first in first out". Hence, if you ever accumulate 128 [only 2 in the demo version] favorite search strings, then adding another one will destroy the very first one [more precisely, the one which is currently in the last position which is the same as the very first one only if you have not sorted the strings yet]. However, you will be given a chance to reconsider your actions.
    • If you want to delete any of your saved recent search strings, then just use the Delete Recent command in the Options menu, and then click on the string which you want to delete.
    • Similarly, if you want to delete any of your saved favorite search strings, then just use the Delete Favorites command in the Options menu, and then click on the string which you want to delete.
    • The Sort Recent and Sort Favorites commands in the Options menu do exactly what you would expect from them. The sort is case-blind.
  • pFindTool uses the same ESC key concept as pedit and LapTopHack except that pFindTool's ESC key can be configured on the fly and there is a visual feedback mechanism.
  • pFindTool must not be deleted without running pToolOff first. Otherwise, the built-in SilkScreen "FIND" command and/or superFinderHack will get confused and will not work. If you accidentally deleted pFindTool without using pToolOff, don't panic. Just run pToolOff and it will fix the mess you created.
  • pFindTool must reside in your regular RAM or flash ROM. If you choose the latter, then please do not forget to delete it prior to installing a fresh copy of pFindTool. Hence, the safest bet is to keep pFindTool in the regular RAM.

• pInfoTool is a pToolSet module which is an advanced version of LapTopHack's now retired "Date'n'Time & Voltage'n'Battery" function.
  • You can use pInfoTool as a regular application if your Palm OS is at least 3.1.
  • You can activate pInfoTool as an Operating System Extension via pMasterTool if your Palm OS is at least 3.5.
    • You can bring up the command toolbar by a Graffiti stroke which is similar to a forward slash "/" starting at the bottom of "/".
    • The button in the command toolbar with a "P" and a "house" [home] symbol on it is the pMasterTool activator button. It is usually located at the very right position of the command toolbar.
  • pInfoTool can be called up via LapTopHack either by entering "ESC d" [both lower and upper case "d" work] or by tapping firmly on the very left edge in the middle third of your Palm's Graffiti area, just to the left from [and between] the "MENU" and "HOME" SilkScreen buttons as long as the Palm OS is at least 3.1 and pInfoTool is installed [it does not need to be turned on via pToolOn] [see the "Graffiti area hot spots" section in LapTopHack's manual]. This is especially useful when the command toolbar is not available such as the "Prefs" [Preferences] application.
  • pInfoTool has full 5-way navigator support.
  • pInfoTool has full pRotatorTool support.
  • Don't forget to explore pInfoTool's menu commands.
  • In particular...
    • The calendar command allows you to browse your Palm Powered handheld's built-in calendar. Unless you quit via the "Cancel" button, the picked day's datestamp will be placed onto the ClipBoard. If you pick today, then the datestamp includes the current time too as in "2002/07/15 10:11:27" [date'n'time], whereas otherwise it consists of the date only as in "2002/07/15". The datestamp uses the preferences set in the "Formats" Preference Panel.
    • The Palm Preferences command in the Actions menu allows you either to launch the built-in Preferences application or to visit the associated preference panels without quitting your current application.
    • The Flush S[ilent] DBCache and Flush V[erbose] DBCache commands in the Misc menu allow you to, surprise surprise, flush the DBCache. These are operational only in Palm Powered handhelds with NVFS [non-volatile file system]. Googling "palm dbcache nvfs" will help to understand these concepts and also their shortcomings if any.
      NOTE. JohnM recommends using this pScript to launch Blazer via the pScriptRunner mini-application pFScript.prc on his Palm TX.
      
      {pScript#F::/&script$[@@Flush1@@]}
      {Flush1::/&specAct[403]/&script$[@@Flush2@@]}
      {Flush2::/&launch[@@Blazer@@]}
      
      
    • The Feature Numbers command in the Misc menu gives you numerous pieces of information regarding the currently defined feature numbers. It tells you the the creator of the given feature number, the feature number itself, and the associated value. This is very useful for "experts" such as developers whereas it is totally irrelevant for the rest of us.
      NOTE. You can search and copy the displayed information.
    • The Open DataBases command in the Misc menu gives you numerous pieces of information about all the databases which are currently open. It tells you the name, the type, and the creator of the given database, whether it is a resource or record database, and how many times is has been opened up. This is useful for "experts" such as developers whereas it is totally irrelevant for the rest of us.
      NOTE. You can search and copy the displayed information.
    • The Screen Size command in the Misc menu shows the size of your screen in pixels. This is quite useful for "experts" such as developers whereas it is totally irrelevant for the rest of us.
    • The Screen Coordinates command in the Misc menu shows the screen coordinates of either pen taps or pen strokes. The only way to terminate the Screen Coordinates... command is via entering "o" [lower case "oh"] or "0" [zero]. Well, you can also pull the plug. This is quite useful for "experts" such as developers whereas it is totally irrelevant for the rest of us.
  • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pInfoTool [see here].
  • In particular...
    • Tap on the RAM/ROM/ETC statistics display selection trigger to obtain comprehensive information about the RAM/ROM/ETC situation of your Palm Powered handheld.
    • You can up/down/left buttonSlide the RAM/ROM/ETC statistics display selection trigger to change the RAM/ROM/ETC information. pInfoTool remembers your most recent selection.
    • "0" [zero] = tap on the right half of the "Date'n'Time" display = toggle between leading 0 in the hour and no leading 0 in the hour formats
    • "a" = tap on the "Date'n'Time" display = toggle between 12 hour and 24 hour formats
  • pInfoTool may be deleted without running pToolOff first.
  • pInfoTool must reside in your regular RAM or flash ROM. If you choose the latter, then please do not forget to delete it prior to installing a fresh copy of pInfoTool. Hence, the safest bet is to keep pInfoTool in the regular RAM.

• The pLaunchTool collection combines five tools.
• pLaunchTool itself is a regular pToolSet module housing pLaunchList, pLaunchTool, pDeskAccList, and pDeskAccTool.
• pLaunchEngine1 is a library shared by pedit, LapTopHack, and pToolSet. It is used for launching items such as applications from any directory of all expansion cards or desk accessories via pScripting.
• pLaunchEngine2 is a library that houses pLaunchTool's and pDeskAccTool's "recent" and "favorite" application and desk accessory list manager tools.
• NOTE. Both pLaunchList and pLaunchTool can launch applications residing on expansion cards. There are two ways of dealing with applications residing on expansion cards. Either use pLaunchTool's Card Appls button to list all your applications in the default directories or your expansion cards or internal drives, usually named "/PALM/Launcher/" or "/Applications/", or proceed as follows.
  • First, launch your expansion card based application using Palm's built-in launcher [tap the "HOME" SilkScreen button] or any other application launcher utility.
  • Second, while your application is running, invoke pLaunchTool and use the Add Current to Favorites menu command to prepend your application to the current favorite list.
  • From now on you can use your favorite list to launch your application.
  • However, if your expansion card based application resides in a non-default directory and you launched it via pScriptTool's omnipotent "/&launch [...]" pFunction, then this procedure doesn't work since both pLaunchList and pLaunchTool only search the default directories of expansion cards and internal drives. The latter directories are usually called "/PALM/Launcher/" or "/Applications/" although they may be spelled with different lower/upper cased combinations.
• NOTE. Due to a Palm OS design deficiency, sometimes it may happen that there are multiple copies of the same Palm application in your RAM and/or on the expansion card which have different names, and this may lead to problems, especially when you have different versions of the same application.
• NOTE. Both pLaunchList, pLaunchTool, and "/&launch [...]" use the "prc" name of expansion card based applications and not the "DB" name when searching for them and when launching them. The "prc" name is what you usually see on your DeskTop computer when installing an application, whereas the "DB" name is what you get in your backup directory of your DeskTop computer after a HotSync. Very unfortunately, the two may be different. That's why I call it a "Palm OS design deficiency".
• NOTE. You can also use pScriptTool and the "/&launch [...]" pFunction for applications residing on external expansion cards [see here for details].

• pLaunchList is a component of the pLaunchTool collection.
  • pLaunchList is a plain vanilla launcher for starting up your applications residing in the main memory of your Palm Powered handheld.
  • Use the "pLaunchTool" item to switch to pLaunchTool.
  • Use the "Favorite APPLs" item to switch to the current favorite list.
  • The "Switch Favorites" command in pLaunchList's "Favorite APPLs" list displays only those favorite lists whose name does not start with "." or it is not the default "pLaunchTool - #X".
  • Use pLaunchTool to change the names of the favorite lists.
  • If you use a keyboard, then the list navigation rules will help you in picking your DA.
  • Even if you are not using a keyboard, some of the list navigation rules will come handy.

• pLaunchTool is a component of the pLaunchTool collection.
  • pLaunchTool is a fancy-shmancy launcher for starting up your desk applications residing in the main memory of your Palm Powered handheld.
  • pLaunchTool has full 5-way navigator support.
  • pLaunchTool has full pRotatorTool support.
  • Don't forget to explore pLaunchTool's menu commands.
  • Use the "pLaunchList" button to switch to pLaunchList.
  • pLaunchTool incorporates numerous "tap minimizing" features. In particular...
    • The Edit: label is, in fact, a button. It is the same as the Item pEditor menu command.
    • The item label is, in fact, a button. It is the same as the Switch Favorites... menu command.
    • When using the Card Appls button, you will see two items called erase & rebuilt list and rescan & refresh list. Use the latter if you either installed new applications on your expansion card or if you regularly use more than one such card and you keep switching between them. If you never change your applications on your expansion card then both will do the same job.
    • The "1" through "F" push buttons allow to switch directly to favorite lists #1 through #F.
    • Tapping on a highlighted "1" through "F" push button brings up the current favorite list.
    • Use the Instant Mode on|off menu command to set the instant mode. If it is "on", then one tap in the recent, favorite, and Applications lists launches applications.
    • Use the Set ListNav Mode... menu command to pick the default list navigation [search] mode in various pLaunchTool lists.
    • The Force ListNav Mode on|off menu command allows pLaunchTool's list navigation mode to override pMasterTool's global "Low-Case ListNav Fix" setting.
    • Use the Set StartUp Mode... menu command to pick the initial action when starting up pLaunchTool.
    • Combining the above two, you can have a 1-tap activation mechanism for applications.
    • "ESC b" = the upButtonSlided Run button = Launch Prev[ious] Appl menu command.
  • NOTE. Please check out the closely related pScriptorial "/&launch [...]" application launcher pFunction. Please see pedit's manual [see here online] for details on pScripting. In particular, "/&launch [...]" is explained here.
  • Use pLaunchTool's Create pScript menu command to generate a "/&launch [...]" pScript from the current text in pLaunchTool. The pScript is placed into the Clipboard which then you can paste into pScriptPad.
  • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pLaunchTool [see here].

• pDeskAccList [desk accessory or DA] is a component of the pLaunchTool collection.
  • pDeskAccList is a plain vanilla launcher for starting up your desk accessories [aka DAs] residing in the main memory of your Palm Powered handheld.
  • Use the "pDeskAccTool" item to switch to pDeskAccTool.
  • Use the "Favorite DAs" item to switch to the favorite list.
  • If you use a keyboard, then the list navigation rules will help you in picking your DA.
  • Even if you are not using a keyboard, some of the list navigation rules will come handy.

• pDeskAccTool [desk accessory or DA] is a component of the pLaunchTool collection.
  • pDeskAccTool is a fancy-shmancy launcher for starting up your desk accessories [aka DAs] residing in the main memory of your Palm Powered handheld.
  • pDeskAccTool has full 5-way navigator support.
  • pDeskAccTool has full pRotatorTool support.
  • Don't forget to explore pDeskAccTool's menu commands.
  • Use the "pDeskAccList" button to switch to pDeskAccList.
  • pDeskAccTool incorporates numerous "tap minimizing" features. In particular...
    • The Edit: label is, in fact, a button. It is the same as the Item pEditor menu command.
    • Use the Instant Mode on|off menu command to set the instant mode. If it is "on", then one tap in the recent, favorite, and Desk Accessories lists launches DAs.
    • Use the Set StartUp Mode... menu command to pick the initial action when starting up pDeskAccTool.
    • Combining the above two, you can have a 1-tap activation mechanism for DAs.
  • NOTE. Please check out the closely related pScriptorial "/&daLaunch [...]" desk accessory [DA] launcher pFunction. Please see pedit's manual [see here online] for details on pScripting. In particular, "/&daLaunch [...]" is explained here.
  • Use pDeskAccTool's Create pScript menu command to generate a "/&daLaunch [...]" pScript from the current text in pDeskAccTool. The pScript is placed into the Clipboard which then you can paste into pScriptPad.
  • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pDeskAccTool [see here].
• pLaunchEngine1 is a shared library component of the pLaunchTool collection.
  • pLaunchEngine1 is used by pLaunchList and pLaunchTool to launch expansion card based Palm applications.
  • pLaunchEngine1 is used by the "/&launch [...]" pScriptorial pFunction.
  • Please see pedit's manual [see here online] for details on "/&launch [...]".
  • A simple example is "{pedit::/&launch [@@/x/pedit@@]}" which launches pedit from the root level directory "x" on the first expansion card. However, if pedit already exists in the main meory, then the latter is launched.
  • Another simple example is "{pedit::/&launch [@@pedit@@]}" which launches pedit from the default directory "/Palm/Launcher" on the first expansion card. However, if pedit already exists in the main meory, then the latter is launched.
  • pScriptPad's Insert pScript command allows to automate the creation of such pScripts.
  • pLaunchEngine1 can be installed, used, and deleted independently of pToolSet.
  • If you installed pLaunchEngine1 as part of pToolSet, then use pToolZapper to delete it.
  • If you installed pLaunchEngine1 independently of pToolSet, then use the usual Palm deletion mechanism to delete it.
  • pedit and LapTopHack can use pLaunchEngine1 even if no other component of pToolSet is installed.
• pLaunchEngine2 is a shared library component of the pLaunchTool collection.
  • pLaunchEngine2 is a library that houses pLaunchTool's and pDeskAccTool's "recent" and "favorite" application and desk accessory list manager tools.
  • In pLaunchTool, the downButtonSlided "favorite" button = "Manage Favorites" menu command.
  • In pLaunchTool, the downButtonSlided "recent" button = "Manage Recent" menu command.
  • If you want to remove the nagger from pLaunchTool's application manager, then please upgrade your registered pToolSet to pToolSetPro via www.paulcomputing.com.
  • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pLaunchTool's application manager [see here].

• pMemoTool is a pToolSet module which which can create Memo items in Palm's built-in "Memo Pad" application without quitting your current application.
• If your Palm Powered handheld has a native 32K memo mode such as the Tungsten T3, or if you have peditPro or pedit32 installed, then you can also create memos with length up to 32K.
  • You can use pMemoTool as a regular application if your Palm OS is at least 3.1.
  • You can activate pMemoTool as an Operating System Extension via pMasterTool if your Palm OS is at least 3.5.
    • You can bring up the command toolbar by a Graffiti stroke which is similar to a forward slash "/" starting at the bottom of "/".
    • The button in the command toolbar with a "P" and a "house" [home] symbol on it is the pMasterTool activator button. It is usually located at the very right position of the command toolbar.
  • The following start up rule applies. If the current text field is has current text selection then the selected text, but no more than 4K/32K, gets copied into the "New Memo Vitals" dialog's text field.
  • pMemoTool has full 5-way navigator support.
  • pMemoTool has full pRotatorTool support.
  • Don't forget to explore pMemoTool's menu commands.
  • Use the 32K Memos on|off menu command to switch between memos with maximum length 4K and 32K, respectively.
  • The Toggle AddMode menu command allows you to switch between the "Add New Item and Stay in pMemoTool" and "Add New Item and Exit" modes. pMemoTool remembers the settings of the current AddMode.
  • If you are in the "Add New Item and Stay..." mode, after you successfully added a new item, the item field becomes focused and the current text gets highlighted. This facilitates creating another item.
  • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pMemoTool [see here].
  • pMemoTool uses the same ESC key concept as pedit and LapTopHack except that pMemoTool's ESC key can be configured on the fly and there is a visual feedback mechanism.
  • pMemoTool may not be used if the current application has already opened up the "Memo Pad" database with write access. Examples of such applications include "DateBk", "Memo PLUS", different varieties of pedits, and even the built-in "Memo Pad". However, should this happen, then pMemoTool gives you the option of switching memo databases temporarily.
  • pMemoTool may be deleted without running pToolOff first.
  • pMemoTool must reside in your regular RAM or flash ROM. If you choose the latter, then please do not forget to delete it prior to installing a fresh copy of pMemoTool. Hence, the safest bet is to keep pMemoTool in the regular RAM.

• You can use pPointerTool to manipulate a Palm cursor via keyboard and Graffiti input.
• You can use pGraffitiTool to enter taps and strokes with your stylus. This is useful if your Palm Powered handheld does not have a Graffiti area and then you can use pGraffitiTool to invoke special actions attached to taps/strokes which you can define in pToolSet's preferences. Run pMasterTool, that is, pToolPrefs, as an application and you will see how to set these preferences.
• For instance, I assign "pGraffitiTool P" [with previous position of the cursor] to a tap in the bottom left corner of the screen on my Tungsten C. This way I can use the entire stroke/tap power of pToolSet.
• Please type "?" for onboard help when in pPointerTool and in pGraffitiTool.

  NOTE. To some extent pPointerTool and to a larger degree pGraffitiTool stopped working properly in certain versions of Palm OS5+. For instance, they work perfectly on my Tungsten T and Tungsten C, but they some of their features are a hit and miss on my Palm TX. The reason is that newer versions of Palm OS5+ stopped allowing the use of some system functions which lie at the heart of these tools; google, for instance, "PenScreenToRaw trap" and "PenRawToScreen trap".

• Following a recommendation of JoachimS, pRotatorTool was originally introduced in LapTopHack in November, 2000, years before the makers of the Palm OS came up with the idea of object navigation [the "halo" thing]. Then, after having been perfected in pToolSet from March 2003, it became part of pedit in April, 2005.
• You can use pRotatorTool to activate "objects", that is, dialog titles [menus], controls such as buttons, push buttons, check boxes, and repeating buttons, and also focus text fields either by using the 5-way button, or via keyboard and Graffiti input.
• The concept of pRotatorTool is very simple. First, identify your object structure, and then activate it.
• Please either tap in a 5 pixel wide strip at the top of the screen or type "?" for onboard help when in pRotatorTool. In particular...
  • pRotatorTool can buttonSlide.
  • hard button #1 = cancel the operation
  • hard button #2 = move the rotator to the home [first] position
  • hard button #3 = move the rotator to the end [last] position
  • hard button #4 = activate the "OK", or "Done", or "Find", or "Get" or "1: via..." or "Add", or "Run", or ";Go", or "Exit", or "Close", or "Cancel", or the first button starting with ".", in this order or priority
• In all primary pToolSet modules, pRotatorTool can be invoked directly via 5-way select, or by typing "ESC ~" or "~", depending whether the given dialog uses ESC keys. These modules include pDateTool, pDeskAccTool, pEditTool, pFindTool, pInfoTool, pLaunchTool, pMemoTool, pScriptTool, pSearchTool, pTipsTool, pToDoTool, and so forth; see the "i-Tips" help files of the individual modules.
• Similarly, pedit has direct pRotatorTool support in some of its primary dialogs such as EditView, ListView [via "ESC ~" only], and in the "F" [find], "J" [jump], and "S" [select] dialogs.
• In addition, in certain text editing pToolSet modules and pedit dialogs, pRotatorTool might be automatically invoked via 5-way up if the cursor as at the beginning of the text, and via 5-way down if the cursor is at the very end.
• In many but not all Palm Powered handhelds, pressing the power button for more than 1 second and less than 2 seconds puts the Palm in the pRotatorTool mode [if this option has been enabled via pMasterTool's "Opt" menu; see the "pRotator Power Btn on|off" menu command].
  NOTE. Some Palms, such as the Tungsten T3 and Tungsten T5 do not allow to use the power button feature since the OS hijacks long presses of the power button and uses them for some device specific features.

• pScriptTool allows you to organize and to launch your pScripts.
• pScriptTool has full 5-way navigator support.
• pScriptTool has full pRotatorTool support.
• Don't forget to explore pScriptTool's menu commands.
• pScriptEngines are invisible components [libraries] of pToolSet which actually process your pScripts.
• Do not forget to experiment with the special action run pScript_XX which can be assigned to various buttons and/or strokes and/or taps and which is explained here".
• pScriptTool incorporates numerous "tap minimizing" features. In particular...
  • The Run: label is, in fact, a button. It is the same as the Item pEditor menu command.
  • Similarly, the script label is also a button. It is the same as the Switch Favorites menu command.
  • When using the Switch Favorites menu command, the picked new favorite list will pop up immediately.
  • Use the Instant Mode on|off menu command to set the instant mode. If it is "on", then one tap in the recent and favorite lists runs pScripts.
  • Use the Set StartUp Mode... menu command to pick the initial action when starting up pScriptTool.
  • Combining the above two, you can have a 1-tap activation mechanism for pScripts.
  • Use the Set ListNav Mode... menu command to pick the default list navigation [search] mode in various pScriptTool lists.
  • The Force ListNav Mode on|off menu command allows pLaunchTool's list navigation mode to override pMasterTool's global "Low-Case ListNav Fix" setting.
• In addition...
  • ESC t = the upButtonSlided "recent" selection trigger = the "Run Top Recent via PTS" [pToolSet or LapTophack] menu command
  • ESC T = the downButtonSlided "recent" selection trigger = the "Run Top Recent via PED" [pedit] menu command
    NOTE.These two commands run your previously launched pScript unless you have changed the "recent" list since then.
  • ESC u = the upButtonSlided "favorite" selection trigger = the "Run Top Favorite via PTS" [pToolSet or LapTophack] menu command
  • ESC U = the downButtonSlided "favorite" selection trigger = the "Run Top Favorite via PED" [pedit] menu command
• pScriptEngine3 is a shared library component of the pScriptTool collection.
  • pScriptEngine3 is a library that houses pScriptTool's "recent" and "favorite" list manager tools.
  • In pScriptTool, the leftButtonSlided "favorite" button = "Manage Favorites" menu command.
  • In pScriptTool, the leftButtonSlided "recent" button = "Manage Recent" menu command.
  • If you want to remove the nagger from pScriptTool's list manager, then please upgrade your registered pToolSet to pToolSetPro via www.paulcomputing.com.
  • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pScriptTool's list manager [see here].
• If you have Palm OS4- and LapTopHack is installed, then pScriptTool automatically uses LapTopHack's pScripting engine since the former is a little more powerful with Palm OS4-.
• The "0: via pedit" button is functional only if you are currently in pedit. In the latter case pScriptTool serves as a front-end to peditorial pScripting.
  NOTE. As of version 6.65, you can edit and run pScripts via pToolSet even if you don't have a pedit installed. However, running pScripts via LapTopHack requires a pedit. The reason for the double-standard is that LapTopHack relies on resources from pedit, whereas pToolSet's pScriptEngines contain those resources.
  NOTE. As of version 7.12, you can run pScripts via LapTopHack even if pedit is not installed.
• You can define up to 16 different favorite lists. If you wish to give customized names to those lists, you can do so with the "Rename Favorites" menu command. Renaming these lists is purely optional.
• The "Switch Favorites" menu command displays only those pScriptTool favorite lists whose name does not start with "." [period]. This allows you to hide unused favorite lists.
• Switching favorites is a sticky operation, that is, pScriptTool always starts up with the last used favorite list loaded. Except that...
  • The pScriptTool #X special actions allow to start up pScriptTool using buttons/strokes/taps with favorite list #X loaded.
• The pScriptTool special action allows to start up pScriptTool using buttons/strokes/taps with the last used favorite list loaded.
• Do not forget to experiment with pScriptTool's "Rotate Start Mode" menu command. It allows to start up pScriptTool either in normal [default] mode or with the recent or favorite lists opened up or with the "switch favorite list" list opened up. This is a time saving convenience.
• Do not forget to experiment with pScriptTool's "Toggle Instant Mode" menu command. It allows to run a pScript by tapping a pScript directly in either the recent or favorite lists. This is also meant as a time saving convenience.
  NOTE. If "Instant Mode" is on and pScripts are initiated directly from either the recent or favorite lists, then all pScripts are run automatically by pToolSet as opposed to pedit and/or LapTopHack.
• Please see pedit's manual [see here online] for details on pScripting.
• For the quick pScript activation mechanism see pedit's manual or here for the details [look for the words "high-ASCII"].
  • The quick pScript activation mechanism works in pMasterTool and in every pToolSet module which has its own "ESC" key such as pAddressTool, pDateTool, pEditTool, pFindTool, pMemoTool, pScriptTool, pSearchTool, pToDoTool, and so forth.
• Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pScriptTool [see here].

• pScriptButtons is an advanced and improved version of LapTopHack's "customizable pScriptButtons".

  Up-to 9,990 customizable pScriptButtons are available each of which can run a pScript of your choice.

  This is a pToolSet [and LapTopHack] feature which cannot run categoryBoundScripts of the form "{categoryName::pScriptName::pScriptText}" since the latter is a strictly pedit feature. However, it does handle pScripts of the form "{pScriptName::pScriptText}" and "{GLOBAL_script::pScriptName::pScriptText}".

  You need to prepare your pScriptButtons prior to using your customized buttons by taking the following steps.

  • Go to pScriptPad either via pedit or pToolSet. Since pedit's editorial features are more powerful than those of pToolSet, you may want to do the initial setup via pedit, and then subsequent maintenance and updates can be done either way.
  • Put the [optional] case sensitive expression custBtnPageTotal=X anywhere in pScriptPad where "X" is any number between 1 and 999 [without leading zeros].

    It may be a good idea to do this as close to the beginning of pScriptPad as possible although it is not at all necessary. The underlying principle can be summed up by "the closer the faster".

    Then you will be able to have exactly "X" pages of ten custom buttons each in pScriptButtons.

    If "X" is equal to 0 [zero], or it is greater than 999, or the expression is missing, then the default value 1 [one] is used.

  • Put the [optional] case sensitive anchor labels custBtn.XXX.1, ... , custBtn.XXX.9 or custBtn.XXX.0 anywhere in pScriptPad.

    Here "XXX" refers to the page number of the given pScriptButtons page, and it is any three digit number between 001 [one] and 999, and it must include leading zeros so that each "XXX" consists of three digits such as "007" or "056".

    The number "Y" in "XXX.Y" refers to the button position in the pScriptButtons page, and it is any one digit number between 1 and 9 or 0 [zero].

    As above, it may be a good idea to do this as close to the beginning of pScriptPad as possible although it is not at all necessary. The underlying principle can be summed up by "the closer the faster".

    All the above labels can be in any order whatsoever. In particular, they can even be next to each other as in custBtn.001.7custBtn.001.1 custBtn.999.1custBtn.007.19custBtn.001.1.

    HOMEWORK. What does custBtn.007.19 mean? Is it a legitimate expression?

  • Each page can also have an optional title via custBtn.XXX.T{title} where, as above, "XXX" is the page number of the given pScriptButtons page and "title" is a string consisting of at most 12 characters, preferably without tabs and newlines. This can also be positioned anywhere in pScriptPad. Actually, the "title" can be as long as you want it, but only the first 12 characters of it will be used.

    NOTE. It may not be prudent to set "WWWWWWWWWWWW" as the title since this string occupies a lots of real estate and portions of it may be covered up by the "Jump" button.

  • Having prepared your pScriptPad, once you invoke the pScriptButtons, the pScriptName of the first pScript [if any] following the given label will appear in the appropriate button label.
  • It is not necessary that the pScript be right after the label. You can have any text not containing "{" between the label and the pScript.
  • I repeat one more time that the closer your labels are to the beginning of pScriptPad, the faster pScriptButtons operates. However, I must admit that in all recent Palm Powered handhelds which I have experimented with, the speed was instantaneous no matter how much I tried to slow it down by arranging the labels at the end of very large pScriptPads.

  There is a full range of navigational commands in pScriptButtons. They are all listed here. In particular, you can use Roman numerals to jump fast in each direction from page to page. In the standard PaulComputing tradition, lower case Roman numerals take you forward, whereas upper cased ones take you backward.

  pScriptButtons can remember the last page you visited. You can control this behavior by entering r ["remember current page" ON] or R ["remember current page" OFF] while in pScriptButtons.

  In addition,

  • "1 ... 9 0" play the pScript assigned to the button "1 ... 9 0", respectively.
  • "j" = "J" = the "Jump" button = jump directly to any page
  • "." = RETURN = 5-way navigator select = the ".Cancel" button
  • "p" = "P" = "s" = "S" = the "scriptPad" button = go to scriptPad
  • "?" = "h" = "H" = onboard help

  EXAMPLE. Put custBtn.001.5 before a pScript in scriptPad. Then "5" [unless you are not on the first page] or "f 5" will play your pScript.

  EXAMPLE. Put custBtnPageTotal=2 and custBtn.002.8 before a pScript in scriptPad. Then "f t 8" or "j 2 j 8" will play your pScript.

  EXAMPLE. Put custBtnPageTotal=900 and custBtn.101.6 before a pScript in scriptPad. Then "f c o 6" or "j 101 j 6" will play your pScript.

  NOTE. pScriptorial pAliases allow you to fully customize your pScriptButtons.

  Please use the Help button for additional advice on using pScriptButtons [see here].

• The pScriptRunner mini-applications are combined into a package which consists of 59 mini-applications to be run on your Palm. Each of them is made to run [trigger, play] a different pScript.

  Each pScriptRunner can be assigned to all four hard buttons, to the "CALC" SilkScreen button of your Palm Powered handheld, or to any other button/stroke/tap which can launch applications, and even to the modem and cradle buttons.

  In addition, each pScriptRunner can also be used by numerous HackMaster extensions, OS extensions, and other utilities which allow invoking applications in a variety of ways such as button presses, stroking, tapping, and so forth. Such utilities include AppHack, PopFavorites, pToolSet, TealLaunch, just to name a few.

  Get the pScriptRunner package from here, including full documentation.

• pSearchTool is a pToolSet module which is an advanced version of superFinderHack's "search current text" command which allows you to search text in the currently focused text field. pReplaceTool is a special mode of pSearchTool.
  NOTE. Unlike superFinderHack, pSearchTool is not a substitute for Palm's built-in SilkScreen "FIND" command. You need pFindTool for the latter. If your Palm Powered handheld's OS version is older than 5.0, than I recommend that you use both pSearchTool [local search] and superFinderHack [global search].
  • You can use pSearchTool as a regular application if your Palm OS is at least 3.1 but then it is completely useless and it is good for explorational purposes only.
  • You can activate pSearchTool as an Operating System Extension via pMasterTool if your Palm OS is at least 3.5.
    • You can bring up the command toolbar by a Graffiti stroke which is similar to a forward slash "/" starting at the bottom of "/".
    • The button in the command toolbar with a "P" and a "house" [home] symbol on it is the pMasterTool activator button. It is usually located at the very right position of the command toolbar.
  • pSearchTool has full 5-way navigator support.
  • pSearchTool has full pRotatorTool support.
  • Don't forget to explore pSearchTool's menu commands. In particular...
    • Use the Set ListNav Mode... menu command to pick the default list navigation [search] mode in various pSearchTool lists.
    • The Force ListNav Mode on|off menu command allows pLaunchTool's list navigation mode to override pMasterTool's global "Low-Case ListNav Fix" setting.
  • pSearchTool has pScript friendly checkboxes. Use "ESC I", "ESC M", "ESC S", "ESC U", and "ESC W to force them to be checked.
  • Text search/replacement can be interrupted by tapping, or by typing ".", or by a page up/down or 5-way up/down press.
  • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pSearchTool [see here].
  • The Find: and Repl: labels are, in fact, a buttons. Try them out and see the i-Tips button for an explanation.
  • A few words about saving search strings...
    • pSearchTool automatically saves 128 [only 2 in the demo version] of your most recent search and replace strings [a total of 256] which you can recall instantaneously by tapping on the recent [ESC R] selection trigger.
    • In addition, you can manually save another 128 [only 2 in the demo version] of your search and replace strings favorite strings [a total of 256] and the current search profile of each search strings by tapping on the AddFav [ESC a, Add Favorite] button. You can recall the latter by tapping on the favorite [ESC F] selection trigger.
    • A profile consists of a combination of the search string, then a space character, and then some additional information enclosed in brackets " [01L:ISUWM]". The first three letters in the brackets contain the "line" information, whereas the last 5 letters are the first letters of the check boxes in upper or lower case depending whether they are checked or unchecked.
      EXAMPLE. "This is a profile [ALL:isuwm]" where the search string is "This is a profile" to be searched in all lines ["ALL"] with all check boxes unchecked.
      EXAMPLE. "This is a profile [05L:ISuwm]" differs from the previous example in that this time you will do a case-blind ["I"] search in the top 5 lines ["05L" and "S"].
      EXAMPLE. "This is a profile [05L:Isuwm]" differs from the previous example in that this time you will do a case-blind ["I"] search in the 5 lines ["05L"] following the current cursor location ["s"].
    • You may save the same favorite string with two or more different profiles.
    • Since the entire search profile is recreated when you use the favorite selection trigger, you may see a lots of action in the pSearchTool dialog.
    • Both string saving methods work on a FIFO basis, that is, "first in first out". Hence, if you ever accumulate 128 [only 2 in the demo version] favorite search strings, then adding another one will destroy the very first one [more precisely, the one which is currently in the last position which is the same as the very first one only if you have not sorted the strings yet]. However, you will be given a chance to reconsider your actions.
    • If you want to delete any of your saved recent search strings, then just use the Delete Recent command in the Options menu, and then click on the string which you want to delete.
    • Similarly, if you want to delete any of your saved favorite search strings, then just use the Delete Favorites command in the Options menu, and then click on the string which you want to delete.
    • The Sort Recent and Sort Favorites commands in the Options menu do exactly what you would expect from them. The sorting process is case-blind.
  • If you want to delete text, then simply leave the "Repl" text field blank and then hit the "F/R" button. This behavior is different from pedit where the "\x" string represents the delete command.
  • Both pSearchTool and pReplaceTool wrap around, that is, all text search and/or replace operations continue at the beginning [top] once they reached the end [bottom] with the exception of the "All R" [Replace All] command which stops at the end.
  • In the search'n'replace dialog, typing "x" or "X" have the same effect as if first the "All R" button, and then the "Done" button were pressed; this is a a pScript friendly command since "All R" generally speaking kills pScripts by wiping out the event queue.
  • Please see pedit's manual [see here online ] for the peditorial implementation of REGEXP, including text capturing via "(@:...)" and "(@x:...)" which is fully supported by pSearchTool and pReplaceTool.
    Do you wan to learn more about REGEXP? I recommend Jeffrey E. F. Friedl's Mastering Regular Expressions [see also here] as an excellent place to start [and to finish]. If you just want a plain vanilla quickie overview, then GNU's grep may help you. This is also excellent, and so is BBEdit's manual.
  • pSearchTool uses the same ESC key concept as pedit and LapTopHack except that pSearchTool's ESC key can be configured on the fly and there is a visual feedback mechanism.
  • pEditTool's Find menu command and "F" button both bring up pSearchTool.
  • pSearchTool may be deleted without running pToolOff first.
  • pSearchTool must reside in your regular RAM or flash ROM. If you choose the latter, then please do not forget to delete it prior to installing a fresh copy of pSearchTool. Hence, the safest bet is to keep pSearchTool in the regular RAM.

• pSharedEngines are just invisible and transparently working modules which can be installed and/or deleted without running pToolOn and/or pToolOff. They serve as a shared library of various functions and procedures used by PaulComputing's Palm applications, hacks, and other tools.

• pTipsTool is an advanced version of the Palm "i-Tips" help dialog. It is based on a similar tool in LapTopHack although the latter is much less sophisticated. Among its many features, it allows incremental, forward, and backward case-blind search for strings typed into the search field.
  • You can use pTipsTool as a regular application if your Palm OS is at least 3.1 but then it is completely useless and it is good for explorational purposes only.
  • You can activate pTipsTool as an Operating System Extension via pMasterTool if your Palm OS is at least 3.5.
    • You can bring up the command toolbar by a Graffiti stroke which is similar to a forward slash "/" starting at the bottom of "/".
    • The button in the command toolbar with a "P" and a "house" [home] symbol on it is the pMasterTool activator button. It is usually located at the very right position of the command toolbar.
  • pTipsTool has full 5-way navigator support.
  • pTipsTool has full pRotatorTool support.
  • Don't forget to explore pTipsTool's menu commands.
  • Please use the "?" button for additional advice on using pTipsTool [see here].
  • In particular...
    • The LEFT/RIGHT arrows, PAGE UP/DOWN, and the and 5-way navigator keys provide navigational aid in browsing the text in the help dialogs.
    • All command letters must be entered in upper case.
    • Type your search strings in lower cased letters.
    • The auto-search is case-blind and forward-incremental.
    • Use the "F" button or enter "F" [upper cased "F"] or press 5-way navigator down to forward-search the "i-Tips" text for the string typed into the search field.
    • Use the "B" button or enter "B" [upper cased "B"] or press 5-way navigator up to backward-search the "i-Tips" text for the string typed into the search field.
    • Enter "O" [upper case "Oh"] or RETURN or 5-way navigator SELECT to activate the "OK" button.
    • Entering TAB or "R" rotates the display fonts.
    • Entering "C" copies the current selection (if any) or the entire "i-Tips" text to the ClipBoard.
    • Entering "M" is the same as tapping the "MENU" SilkScreen button. Both bring up the pTipsTool menu.
    • Entering "S" selects the entire "i-Tips" text.
    • Entering "?" or "H" is the same as the "Help" menu command.
  • pTipsTool may be deleted without running pToolOff first.
  • pTipsTool must reside in your regular RAM or flash ROM. If you choose the latter, then please do not forget to delete it prior to installing a fresh copy of pTipsTool. Hence, the safest bet is to keep pTipsTool in the regular RAM.

• pToDoTool is a pToolSet module which is an advanced version of LapTopHack's "To Do List" companion hack which can create ToDo items in Palm's built-in "To Do List" application without quitting your current application. In addition, pToDoTool provides many more options than the "To Do List" application.
  • You can use pToDoTool as a regular application if your Palm OS is at least 3.1.
  • You can activate pToDoTool as an Operating System Extension via pMasterTool if your Palm OS is at least 3.5.
    • You can bring up the command toolbar by a Graffiti stroke which is similar to a forward slash "/" starting at the bottom of "/".
    • The button in the command toolbar with a "P" and a "house" [home] symbol on it is the pMasterTool activator button. It is usually located at the very right position of the command toolbar.
  • pToDoTool has full 5-way navigator support.
  • pToDoTool has full pRotatorTool support.
  • Don't forget to explore pToDoTool's menu commands.
  • The Toggle AddMode menu command allows you to switch between the "Add New Item and Stay in pToDoTool" and "Add New Item and Exit" modes. pToDoTool remembers the settings of the current AddMode.
  • If you are in the "Add New Item and Stay" mode, after you successfully added a new item, the item field becomes focused and the current text gets highlighted. This facilitates creating another item.
  • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pToDoTool [see here].
  • The Due Date: label is, in fact, a button. Try it out and see the i-Tips button for an explanation.
  • pToDoTool uses the same ESC key concept as pedit and LapTopHack except that pToDoTool's ESC key can be configured on the fly and there is a visual feedback mechanism.
  • pToDoTool cannot be used if the current application has already opened up the "To Do List" database with write access. Examples of such applications include "DateBk", "ToDo PLUS", and even the built-in "To Do List".
  • pToDoTool may be deleted without running pToolOff first.
  • pToDoTool must reside in your regular RAM or flash ROM. If you choose the latter, then please do not forget to delete it prior to installing a fresh copy of pToDoTool. Hence, the safest bet is to keep pToDoTool in the regular RAM.

• pTextTool is a pToolSet module which is an advanced version of LapTopHack's "peditHack".
• pTextEngine1 is separate invisible module. It serves as a shared library of text related functions for various pToolSet modules. It can be installed and/or deleted without running pToolOn and/or pToolOff.
• pTextEngine2 is separate invisible module. It serves as a shared library for pTextTool. It can be installed and/or deleted without running pToolOn and/or pToolOff.

• pEditTool is part of pTextTool. It is an advanced version of LapTopHack's "[p]editPad". They provide a number of sophisticated text manipulation operations similar to what their big sister pedit does. We will discuss pTextTool and pEditTool together.
  • You can use pTextTool as a regular application if your Palm OS is at least 3.1 but then it is completely useless and it is good for explorational purposes only.
  • You can activate pTextTool and pEditTool as an Operating System Extension via pMasterTool if your Palm OS is at least 3.5 and there is a currently focused text field in your form.
    • You can bring up the command toolbar by a Graffiti stroke which is similar to a forward slash "/" starting at the bottom of "/".
    • The button in the command toolbar with a "P" and a "house" [home] symbol on it is the pMasterTool activator button. It is usually located at the very right position of the command toolbar.
  • pTextTool can be called up by LapTopHack via "ESC T" [upper case "T"] as long as the Palm OS is at least 3.1 and pTextTool is installed [it does not need to be turned on via pToolOn]. This is especially useful when the command toolbar is not available such as the "Prefs" [Preferences] application.
  • pTextTool works with all focused text fields even if they are not editable such as some warning dialogs, i-Tips help files, or DOC files.
  • All text copying and cutting operations automatically extend the ClipBoard from the built in 1,000 characters to 32,767 [32K] characters.
  • Please use the i-Tips button [if visible], or the ?: help in pTextTool command or enter "?" for more advice on using pTextTool, pEditTool, and their companion modules [see here, here, here, here, and here]. In particular...
    • Each pTextTool command item, including every push button, can be activated either by pressing it or by entering the first letter of its label [see here for exceptions]. All command letters are case sensitive.
    • Use the space, delete [back space], tab, arrow, and page up/down keys to navigate the command lists and to switch between them.
    • Tap the "ABC" and "123" SilkScreen buttons to scroll the list up/down.
    • The RETURN key activates the currently selected command in the current command list.
    • You can cancel pTextTool by tapping on the screen outside the dialog or by entering "." [period].
    • See here for more ways to cancel.
    • If you are in "verbose mode", then pTextTool gives you some visual feedback in the form of short messages on the screen regarding certain operations. If you turn on "expert mode", then "verbose mode" gets automagically turned off.
    • If you are in "expert mode", then pTextTool becomes invisible although it functions exactly as if it were visible except that you can't use your stylus to activate buttons and commands. If there are 3 seconds of inactivity while in "expert mode", then you will automatically get back to "normal mode". If you quit pTextTool while in "expert mode", then you will be in "expert mode" again when your start up pTextTool the next time.
    • If you turn on "continue mode", then pTextTool automatically restarts after every text related operation unless you choose "cancel" or turn "continue mode" off. This is useful for performing a sequence of editorial tasks efficiently. If you quit pTextTool while in "continue mode", then you will be in "continue mode" again when your start up pTextTool the next time.
    • Using "expert mode" and "continue mode" together significantly increases the power of pTextTool.
    • Smart selection means that trailing white spaces such as spaces and tabs are included in the selection.
    • A "screen line" is a line what you see on the screen whereas a regular "line" must end with a RETURN [linefeed] character unless it is at the very end of your text [see here online and here online for a detailed discussion].
    • Paragraphs are separated by at least two RETURN [linefeed] characters plus possibly any number of white spaces between them [see here online for more details].
    • pEditTool is so intuitive that in all likelihood you will have no problems using it whatsoever.
    • Here are some details...
      • pEditTool uses the same ESC key concept as pedit and LapTopHack except that pEditTool's ESC key can be configured on the fly and there is a visual feedback mechanism.
      • pEditTool gives equal opportunity treatment to both lefties and righties.
      • The original text is automatically saved when you enter pEditTool so that you never have to use the Save Text command in the Act2 menu. In addition, you can always save the current text by using Save Text, and you can always restore the last saved text by using Restore Text.
      • Use the ESC key in conjunction with the arrow keys, the page up/down keys, and the previous/next field characters to navigate your text.
      • You can call up pTextTool from within pEditTool in a variety of ways.
      • pEditTool has full 5-way navigator support.
      • pEditTool has full pRotatorTool support.
      • Don't forget to explore pEditTool's menu commands.
        Hint. If you see "Ex", such as "Auto Indent... Ei", after a menu command, then you can activate that command by "ESC x".
        Enter versus Switch. If "entering", then the current pMagiPad/pScriptPad stays under the new daughter pad. If "switching", then the current pMagiPad/pScriptPad is replaced by the new sister pad. If you are pEditTool but not in pMagiPad/pScriptPad, then "entering" takes you to the current pad whereas "switching" allows you to pick another pad.
        NOTE. The pMagiPad #X and pMagiPad #X special action allow to start up pMagiPad/pScriptPad using buttons/strokes/taps with favorite list #X loaded.
        NOTE. The "M" [Memo Pad] menu is functional only if (i) you entered pEditTool from within the built-in Memo Pad which is also called "Memos" in some Palm Powered handhelds such as the Tungsten T3, and (ii) pEditTool was initiated by the "Auto pEditMemo On" option which you can enable in ListView or via the "pEditMemo" button in EditView.
      • In particular...

• • • • • The extraordinarily powerful and useful concept of automatic text indenting is not exactly trivial. If you are familiar with it, then I don't think you need any additional explanation. Otherwise, I recommend that you read about the peditorial auto indent commands in pedit's manual [see here online]. The implementation in pTextTool is more straightforward and more flexible than either in pedit or in LapTopHack.
          • You can select [highlight] commands in the auto indent list by using the up/down arrows, the previous/next field characters, and by entering space or delete [back space].
          • You can also select [highlight] commands in the auto indent list by entering the first letter [which is a number] of their labels.
          • You can cancel the auto indent list by tapping outside the list or by entering "." [period].
          • See here for more ways to cancel.
          • You can activate a command in the auto indent list either by tapping on the label of the command or by selecting the command and entering "RETURN".

• • • • • The similarly powerful and useful concept of text block shifting is not exactly trivial either. If you are familiar with it, then I don't think you need any additional explanation. Otherwise, I recommend that you read about the peditorial shift selection commands in pedit's manual [see here online (auto indent), here online (shift right), and here online (shift left]. The implementation in pTextTool is more straightforward and more flexible than either in pedit or in LapTopHack.
          • You can select [highlight] commands in the shift selection list by using the up/down arrows, the previous/next field characters, and by entering space or delete [back space].
          • You can also select [highlight] commands in the shift selection list by entering the first letter [which is a number or a letter] of their labels.
          • You can cancel the shift selection list by tapping outside the list or by entering "." [period].
          • See here for more ways to cancel.
          • You can activate a command in the shift selection list either by tapping on the label of the command or by selecting the command and entering "RETURN".
        • The "Export Text To Memo" menu command exports the entire current text to MemoDB which is used by Memo Pad [also called "Memos" in some Palm Powered handhelds such as the Tungsten T3], pedit, and so forth. This menu command is functional only, if the current text is no larger than the maximal native memo size on your Palm Powered handheld.
          NOTE. If you want to export to Memo32DB used by peditPro and pedit32, then use pMemoTool.
        • The "Export Selected Text" menu command is similar to the "Export Text To Memo" menu command except that it operates on the current text selection.
        • The Find menu command is the same as the "F" button. They both bring up pSearchTool which uses five different search engines depending on the various options which you set prior to the search operation. This command also incorporates its own Find More command which allows you to repeat the previous search with the very same options. The search wraps around except when searching a range of lines from the current cursor.
        • On the other hand, the Find Again menu command and the equivalent "G" button do a much simpler job. Namely, they just find the next match of the current text selection. This search is case-blind and wraps around. This is a quick'n'dirty way of searching your text.
        • The difference between the Font and Sticky Font menu commands is that the latter remembers the choice you made and it will set the text field to the appropriate font when starting up pEditTool.
        • pEditTool, optionally, can show stats. This is great for text messaging [SMS] that usually allows no more than 160 characters; see the "Stats on|off" menu command in the "Opt" menu.
    • In order to use the "enter pMagiPad" [aka magiPad] and "enter pScriptPad" [aka scriptPad] commands, you need to have one of the pedits installed on your Palm Powered handheld. Please read about pMagiPad and pScriptPad in pedit's manual [see here online]
      NOTE. The "Copy'n'Paste" command ["QopyPaste" button] a la pedit and LapTopHack works in pMagiPad and pScriptPad only and not in pEditTool, and only if there is a current text selection. It copies the current text selection to the ClipBoard, exits pMagiPad or pScriptPad, and then either replaces the current text selection by the contents of the ClipBoard, or, if there is no such text selection, then pastes the contents of the ClipBoard at the current cursor position. These actions take place in the currently focused and editable text field in the current dialog, provided that such a text field exists.
      NOTE. Certain pEditTool operations such as Save Text and Restore Text are not available in pMagiPad and pScriptPad.
      NOTE. Certain pEditTool operations such as Insert pScript are available only in pMagiPad and/or pScriptPad.
    • The Insert pScript command in pScriptPad's Act1 menu creates an application launcher pScript of the form {appName:://&launch [@@appName@@,0]} where "appName" is the name of the currently running application [see pLaunchEngine1].
    • As far as case changing goes, lower casing and UPPER CASING are pretty much obvious, whereas "Title Casing" is more or less intuitive, although, in case of words such as pTextTool, it is subject to great debate. On the other hand, "deTitle casing" just changes the first letters of each word to lower case without changing anything else.
      • If your cursor is at the beginning or in the middle of a word and there is no current text selection, then the "Title Case selection" command upper cases the first letter of the current word without changing the current position of the cursor. The "deTitle case selection" command acts similary.

• • • pAsciiTool allows you to enter any character from the standard extended ASCII table into your text or copy it to the clipboard. It is a significant improvement over pedit's similar tool.
    • pAsciiTool is a not a pToolSet module but rather a pToolSet engine which means that it can be installed and deleted without using pToolOff (aka pToolSetOff).
    • If you want to enable pAsciiTool, then please upgrade your registered pToolSet to pToolSetPro via www.paulcomputing.com.
    • Please use the i-Tips button for additional advice on using pAsciiTool [see here].

• • • The sort line command [pSortTool] allows you to sort either all [regular] lines or the selected [regular] lines in your text, depending whether you have current selection in your text. It has probably more options than you will ever need. It is based on pedit's similar tool. pLineSortTool is separate module but without its own icon. It can be invoked from pTextTool and pEditTool only.
    • pSortTool is a not a pToolSet module but rather a pToolSet engine which means that it can be installed and deleted without using pToolOff (aka pToolSetOff).
      • The top message on your screen shows the number of comparisons performed while sorting your lines [in increments of hundreds]. I strongly suggest that you take an example with very many, say, a few hundred line breaks, and then watch the show. If you have peditPro, then you could even sort a memo with a few thousand line breaks. It is really educational.
      • Before you see two messages on your screen, you can interrupt [cancel] the sorting process by hitting the page up/down keys.
      • When you see two messages on your screen, you can still interrupt [cancel] the sorting process by hitting the page up/down keys but the interruption will take place only after the second message goes away, that is, the sorting process will be completed although the sorted text will not replace your original text.
      • You can't interrupt [cancel] the sorting process after the second message goes away unless you pull the plug of your Palm Powered handheld. Of course, most if not all sorting jobs you may ever have will be instantaneous for all practical purposes.
      • Please note that the rules for interrupting text sorting are somewhat different in pedit which gives you more options.
    • The font rotator command rotates the built-in standard, bold, large, and large bold fonts.
      NOTE. As OleM noticed, if you use the font rotator in applications such as pedit, then the font label doesn't get updated since the font rotator does its job without communicating directly to the underlying application.

• • • The word count command [aka pWordCountTool] gives you comprehensive statistics about the number of characters, words, and [regular] lines in your current text. It is based on pedit's similar tool.

• • • The Chars push button brings up the Character list of all available characters which you can paste into your text by selecting the appropriate character and/or tapping on it. It is based on LapTopHack's similar tool.
      • The numbers in the brackets refer to the decimal and hexadecimal values of the character which follow the right bracket.
      • A few of the characters are invisible and useless for writing and printing purposes such as "0x04". Nevertheless, I kept all of the characters in the standard "8-bit ASCII table" with the exception of the very first one which is called "null" character and which can be outright suicidal if used in any part of your text fields.
      • You can navigate in the Character list using the following rules.
        • "h" = go to the beginning [home] of the list.
        • "e" = go to the end of the list.
        • "down arrow", "v", "x", "l", "c", "t" = go forward by 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, or 200, respectively.
        • "up arrow", "V", "X", "L", "C", "T" = go backward by 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, or 200, respectively.
    • If there is a current text selection, then the selection process extends the selection both to the left and to the right according to the chosen command.
    • If the current cursor or the endpoints of the current text selection are in a gap between words, then "select current words" selects both words. A similar rule applies to sentences and paragraphs. For instance, if you have "word1| word2" where "|" denotes the cursor, then 1: select current words ends up selecting both words.
    • If there is a current text selection, then the jumping process takes the selection into consideration and the jump starts either from the start or the end of the selection, depending on the chosen command.
    • Almost all operations will center the selected text or the cursor on the screen unless they are already visible. This is called "smart contexting".
    • The "append current selection" option appends [as opposed to "copies"] the currently selected text to the ClipBoard.
    • The "cut too" option both copies to the ClipBoard and deletes [cuts] the selected text.
    • If the "copy current selection" command is picked, then the selected text is not "cut too" even if that push button is highlighted.
    • Note that "cut too" is considered a "dangerous" option so that it is neither keyboard selectable nor is it saved.
  • pTextTool may be deleted without running pToolOff first.
  • pTextTool must reside in your regular RAM or flash ROM. If you choose the latter, then please do not forget to delete it prior to installing a fresh copy of pTextTool. Hence, the safest bet is to keep pTextTool in the regular RAM.

• There are many more pToolSet modules on the drawing board.

External Keyboards and Thumbboards

Most pToolSet modules fully support all external and internal keyboards, thumbboards and even Graffiti input in a rather rich and comprehensive manner. Please see the i-Tips button of your module for more details. If your module doesn't have an i-Tips button [such as pTextTool], then type "?" for help.

Both pMasterTool and all of the pToolSet modules (and much more) can be activated via external and internal keyboards and thumbboards, via hard and SilkScreen button presses, and even via numerous Graffiti area taps and strokes, as long as you install pToolButtonsPro instead of pToolButtons [please read 00README_pToolButtonsPro.txt which is included in the pToolSet distribution]. Please see pToolPrefs, pMasterTool, and its pToolSet Prefs command for details.

In Palm OS 4 and older, you can also use LapTopHack to activate both pMasterTool and most pToolSet modules via external keyboards or Graffiti input [see the description of the appropriate modules in this manual or the "Graffiti area hot spots" and the "undocumented features" sections in LapTopHack's manual].

List Navigation

In most popped up generic lists in pToolSet and pedit, and even in some generic lists in LapTopHack, you can navigate using the following rules unless the given list has its own navigational rules which is usually mentioned in the i-Tips or other help files.

NOTE. You can recognize such generic lists by observing that they have a plain rectangular border as opposed to the Palm OS generated popped up lists which have a shaded right and bottom border. For instance, almost every category selector list is generated by the Palm OS, and, therefore, the following rules do not apply.

The popped up lists can be navigated in incremental [default], alphabetic, and numerical search modes, except for pMasterTool which lacks the numerical search mode. Each search mode has its own rules.

• Use "," [comma] to rotate between incremental [default], alphabetic, and numerical search modes.
• Use "`" [back-quote] to enter the incremental search mode.
• Use "~" to enter the alphabetic search mode.
• Use "#" to enter the numerical search mode.

NOTE. In pMasterTool the search mode selection is sticky.

The following rules apply in all search modes.

• In addition to the standard tapping and dragging technique, you can also use the space, delete [backspace], up/down and left/right arrows, the 5-way navigator up/down buttons, and previous/next field keys to navigate the list up/down.
• Use the page up/down, the 5-way navigator left/right buttons, and the "ABC" and "123" SilkScreen buttons to scroll the list up/down.
• Enter "^" [caret] to select the first item.
• Enter "$" to select the last item.
• Enter "[" to select the first item on the top of the current page.
• Enter "]" to select the last item on the bottom of the current page.
• Enter "@" scroll to currently selected item.
• Enter "." or tap on the screen outside the list to cancel the list.
• If the currently selected item is the first item on the list, then use the 5-way left navigator key or the "DATE" [first] hard button to cancel the list.
• If the currently selected item is the last item on the list, then use the 5-way right navigator key or the "MEMO" [fourth] hard button to cancel the list.
• The RETURN key [or the 5-way navigator select button] activates the currently selected item.
• Enter "?" for on-board help.

Navigational help in incremental search mode.

• If typing an upper cased letter or a digit and "match numbers too" is off, then the current search string is reset to the typed character, "match at the beginning of line only" is turned on, and the next item which is matched at the very beginning of its text is selected.
• If typing a non-upper cased letter of the alphabet, then the current search string is appended by this character and the next item which is matched with the current options is selected.
• Incremental search is case-blind.
• Enter "=" to select next item with current search string.
• Enter "-" to reset current search string.
• Enter "!" to show current search string [except in pMasterTool].
• Enter """ [double quotation mark] to toggle on|off "match at the beginning of line only" [on by default]. However, all leading blanks and leading labels of the form "X: " are skipped, and the "begining of the line" starts after them.
• Enter "'" [single quotation mark] to toggle on|off "match at the beginning of word only" [on by default].
• Enter "*" to toggle on|off "match numbers too" [off by default].
• Enter "delete" [backspace] to delete the last letter of search string and go backward to the nearest match [if no match, then just go backward by one item].

Navigational help in alphabetic search mode.

• Typing a lower cased letter finds the next item which starts with the same letter.
• Enter "=" to select next item which starts with the first letter of the current item.
• Enter delete [backspace] to go backward to the nearest match of the first letter of the current item [if there is no such a no match, then just go backward by one item].

Navigational help in numerical search mode.

• Enter "1 ... 9 0 a ... e " to select item "1 ... 9 10 ... 15" [sometimes, when it is more natural, the order is changed to "0 1 ... 9"].
• Enter "v x l h t m" to move the current selection forward by "5 10 50 100 200 1000" items [ "h" comes from hundred and "t" comes from two hundred, the rest are roman numerals].
• Enter "V X L H T M" to move the current selection backward by "5 10 50 100 200 1000" items [ "h" comes from hundred and "t" comes from two hundred, the rest are roman numerals.

Additional navigational help.

• tap in NW corner of screen = SilkScreen "APPL" = "DATE" hard button = "^" = select first item
• tap in NE corner of screen = SilkScreen "CALC" = "MEMO" hard button = "$" = select last item
• tap in SW corner of screen = SilkScreen "MENU" = "ADDR" hard button = backspace = select last item with previous search string
• tap in SE corner of screen = SilkScreen "FIND" = "TODO" hard button = "=" = select next item with current search string
• tap in W middle border of screen = "@" = scroll to currently selected item
• tap in N middle border of screen = "!" = show current search string [except in pMasterTool]
• tap in E middle border of screen = "-" = reset search string
• tap in S middle border of screen = "?" = help

NOTE. If an item starts with the label "X: ", then the text matching takes place after the label only unless the search string starts with an upper case letter or a digit.

EXAMPLE. "N: pEditTool" can be selected by typing either "p" [lower case] or "N" [upper case].

NOTE. If word match is off then so is line match.

NOTE. Leading blanks in item text are always ignored.

NOTE. "^", "[", "]", and "$" also reset the search string.

The following notes apply only to pMasterTool.

NOTE. The SilkScreen "APPL", "CALC", "MENU", and "FIND" navigational taps are disabled in pMasterTool.

NOTE. The numerical search mode is disabled in pMasterTool.

NOTE. In pMasterTool, in all search modes, if "X: command name", then entering case-significant "X" selects and activates the item.

NOTE. In pMasterTool, entering "!" or a tap in the upper edge of the screen is the same as tapping the SilkScreen "MENU" button. They all give access to pMasterTool's menu.

NOTE. For Treo and other thumbboard users, pMasterTool and some other lists now supports simplified list navigation using lower cased letters found on thumbboards. Go to pMasterTool, and see the Opt menu's "Low-Case ListNav Fix on|off" menu command which toggles the regular/lower case search.

QUESTION. If the lower case search is enabled, then can I use lower cased letters for commands with special labels such as "switch pMasterT" which appears as "+: switch pMasterT"?

ANSWER. Just create a customized pMasterTool list where your particular command occupies a position where the lower cased labels have not been all used up. If, e.g., you move "switch pMasterT" to the top, it becomes "a: switch pMasterT".

Compatibility Issues

I was told that FastCapsHack and MiddleCapsHack may have various problems leading to crashes if used in conjunction with applications which put buttons in the the command toolbar such as the pToolSet modules. The makers of these HackMaster extensions have been notified and hopefully they will address the issues.

Please note that I personally have not experimented with either of FastCapsHack and MiddleCapsHack so that I can't confirm the existence of the problems found by some of the users.

Known Bugs

• The automatic enabling of pToolSet has been disabled in the Treo 650, since a bug in the Treo 650's HotSync caused crashes. Instead, you need to run pToolOn (aka pToolSetOn) manually after every HotSync. However, there is no need to run pToolOff (aka pToolSetOff) before every HotSync. The latter remains automatic.
• There may be occasions when some pToolSet components do not behave as you expect them on a Tungsten T3 especially when the DIA [dynamic input area] is collapsed and/or expanded. The problem is most likely caused by either a defective mother application which was running while the given pToolSet component was called up or by the bugs present in the Tungsten T3 OS itself. However, before you complain to anyone, please make sure that you installed the "T3 DIA Compatibility PRCs" [use Google to find out what they are and search for the words "T3 DIA Compatibility PRCs", including the quotation marks].
  NOTE. If you have a Tungsten different from the T3, such as the T5, then do not install the "T3 DIA Compatibility PRCs".
• If you are in Palm's built-in Memo Pad and you see a button with the word "pEdit" in it, and you call up the menu command bar, then the above button will draw itself if you hit the menu command bar in the same place where the button is located. This will prevent you from using the menu command bar icons.
  
  The solution is to tap into the menu command bar away from the location of the "...pEdit..." button, say on the very left or the very right edges of the screen, and then move the stylus towards the desired icon.
  
  This bug is due to the way the Palm OS operates since there is no Palm OS 5+ compatible way of figuring out if the menu command bar is currently drawn on the screen.
  
  Unfortunately, this is not really fixable in OS5+ unless the Palm OS becomes more sophisticated one of these days. I might be able to fix it in OS4- but I have not yet found the time and/or desire to deal with it since most pToolSet users have OS5+ anyway.
  
  A similar problem may occur if a menu is dropped down but avoiding the problem is much easier. For instance, just don't tap the "...pEdit..." button if a menu is dropped. Even if you tap it, nothing bad will happen.
  
  
• When trying to figure out the name of the current application, pLaunchList occasionally declares that "can't do it". This happens with OS 5.x native applications such as HotSync which were not launched the "normal" way. For instance, if HotSync was launched using the button on your HotSync cradle. This is an OS 5.x deficiency since the makers of the Palm OS did not think that it was necessary for a "sublaunched" applications such as the pToolSet modules to know information about the mother [or root] application.
• When doing a "Copy + Paste + Select" job from pMagiPad, pScriptPad, or pAsciiTool into a text field which is part of a table such as in Date Book or Address Book, the cursor, or more precisely, a ghost cursor, keeps blinking even though there is selected text in it. This is an old Palm OS bug which I reported several times and which has not been addressed yet [as of Palm OS 5.4]. If you are a Palm developer and you have the source code of Field.c, then look at the code around "eventP->eType == fldHeightChangedEvent" and you will see what's wrong.

Please report all bugs to me.

Fixed Bugs

• There was a very curious problem involving the built-in application launcher called "Applications" and pToolSet prior to version 6.19. Let's call it the "ADGW-Y-bug" after its discoverers AndyF, DanielB, GerryL, and WinstonY.

  Here is what happened...

  1. You must have pToolSet up to version 6.18.
  2. Either (i) install a fresh set of pToolSet via HotSync or (ii) turn off pToolSet with pToolOff and then turn it on via pToolOn.
  3. Go to "Applications" and use a graffiti command stroke to bring up the command toolbar.
  4. Enter "y" while the command toolbar is visible.
  5. This will invoke the "Category" menu command.
  6. You will see the "Please wait" sign for a short while.
  7. Then, as soon as the "Please wait" sign goes away and the "Category" dialog comes up, you will see a crash with a message similar to "MemoryMgr.c, Line:4365, NULL handle".

  NOTE. If, instead of "command-y", you use the "Category" menu command by tapping on it, then the crash does not take place.

  NOTE. Another version of the "ADGW-Y-bug" appeared in HandDBase if one tried to use the "copy" command via the command toolbar.

  SOLUTION. Upgrade to pToolSet 6.20+ which resolves the problem [after John Marshall explained to me the reasons for the crash which boils down to the technical word "DmGet1Resource"].

  NOTE. You must use version 6.20+ of LapTopHack and menuNavigatorHack with pToolSet 6.20+. Otherwise, pToolSet will fail to function properly.

  NOTE. Had "Applications" been written with more care, then the crash would not have occurred and the "ADGW-Y-bug" would have remained undiscovered.

• Using pMasterTool's "Pin Reset" command in version 6.26, followed by a HotSync and then a tap on the "APPL" SilkScreen button, caused a reproducible crash for DirkS on his Visor Pro with Palm OS 3.5.2H3.0. Subsequently, it was confirmed by BlakeW, LucF, JohnK, and GaryV. Hence, let's call it the "DBGJL-R-bug". As it turned out, the "DBGJL-R-bug" was a result of the above mentioned "ADGW-Y-bug" fix which on certain hardware configurations did not work as expected. I fixed the "DBGJL-R-bug" using a trick suggested to me by Bobby Kolev.

  NOTE. pToolSet 6.26, released on July 24, 2002, no longer suffers from the "DBGJL-R-bug".

Unknown Bugs

None.

Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTION. Why is pToolSet not compatible with OSs older than 3.5?

ANSWER. Because the so called "Notification Manager" was introduced in OS 3.5, and it is used as the underlying mechanism for communicating between various pToolSet modules.

QUESTION. What is pToolSetPro [aka pToolSetProEnabler]?

ANSWER. Use pToolSetPro to add additional features to your pToolSet. pToolSet will tell you either by a screen message or by a dialog if you need to use pToolSetPro. It is available from www.paulcomputing.com or e-mail 2me@PaulComputing.com if you have problems locating it.

QUESTION. Why pToolSetPro?

ANSWER. Most features requiring pToolSetPro were added at the request of users. Instead of releasing them as individual applications and/or Operating System Extensions, I decided to bundle them with pToolSet. They are by no means necessary for using pToolSet and please register pToolSetPro only if you think you might benefit from it. Please search the manual for the word "pToolSetPro" to see what features need it.

QUESTION. Will pToolSet monopolize the command toolbar cluttering it with pToolSet buttons?

ANSWER. Please upgrade to version 6.23+ where the introduction of pMasterTool has resolved this issue. According to a poll conducted in the peditors Forum, pMasterTool was met by an overwhelming approval.

QUESTION. What are "Operating System Extensions"?

ANSWER. They are the OS 3.5+ versions of "HackMaster Extensions", or "hacks". Since OS 5.0+ no longer allows patching OS functions as HackMaster extensions do, Palm has developed a new approach to the good old quest of adding extra features to the operating system via the "Notification Manager". "Operating System Extensions" are essentially regular Palm applications [or "shared libraries" or "code segments"] which not only take advantage of the "Notification Manager" but also perform their actions without quitting the currently running application.

QUESTION. Why is it that text sorting in pedit is about twice as fast as in pToolSet via pLineSortTool? It took 7 seconds to sort 1000 lines in peditPro whereas sorting the same lines via pLineSortTool lasted almost 14 seconds.

ANSWER. Due to the way the Palm OS works, pToolSet is unable to use so called "global variables". pToolSet replaces the latter by another approach which slows some operations down.

QUESTION. What is a text field ruler?

ANSWER. A text field ruler is what 99% of the non-experts would call underline. It looks like underline, it smells like underline, but it ain't no underline. If you think about, you realize that nothing is underlined unless you work with a genuine word processor. In text fields, the ruler simply gives a visual reference where the lines are separated from each other. In addition to having no ruler at all, the Palm OS provides at least two different rulers in the form of grey and solid underlines.

QUESTION. When I am in pEditTool and hit, say, the "K" button then I can still use certain non-case change related operations such as toggle ruler on/off, whereas other operation such as line sorter don't work. Why?

ANSWER. pEditTool has a tricky mechanism of calling various commands and some work only when playing by the rules of the game whereas some even work otherwise. Think of the latter as undocumented features.

QUESTION. When I am in pTextTool and/or pEditTool and my pedit is running, I am unable to use the enter pMagiPad command. Why?

ANSWER. When pedit is running, then the pMagiPad database is open for both reading and writing, and hence no outside intruder such as pToolSet has the right to modify it. This is one of the basic rules of the game in the Palm universe.

QUESTION. How come that I can't use the SilkScreen "FIND" button and superFinderHack while I am in various pToolSet modules?

ANSWER. For the same reason as you can't do it in the built-in virtual KeyBoard either. Certain dialogs, more precisely, the "modal" dialogs, in the Palm universe prevent the functioning of the SilkScreen "FIND" button.

QUESTION. How come that some of my special actions taps don't work properly?

ANSWER. You need to recalibrate your Palm's digitizer [see the "Digitizer" command in your "Prefs", that is, Palm Preferences application]. In addition, there is an excellent chance that the digitizer of your Palm Powered handheld is defective as reported to me by many users. Please see the web and various internet newsgroups for details [google "palm digitizer"].

QUESTION. How come that some of my hard buttons don't cooperate with special actions?

ANSWER. In some Palms some of the hard buttons are reserved by the OS. For instance, on the Palm TX, button #1 is used by the application launcher and the power button is under OS control as well. In addition, some applications such as DateBk and VersaMail, also use some buttons for their own purposes. Sometimes pToolSet is unable to utilize those buttons.

QUESTION. What is a "modal" dialog?

ANSWER. For instance, all dialogs which have an i-Tips button.

QUESTION. What does the "Quit Current Appl" menu command do in pMasterTool's "Act" menu?

ANSWER. It quits your current application and returns to the previously launched application. However, as opposed to common sense, you can't keep going backwards forever. Sooner or later you will be taken back to your default application launcher. Actually, the "sooner" happens sooner than you wished, usually after the second quitting. This is how the Palm OS operates.

QUESTION. How come I can't get pToolSet to recognize my ESC key when using a Treo 600?

ANSWER. [by Michael Connick] Well, it seems that the Treo 600 features "Yet Another Non-Standard Keyboard Driver". pToolSet simply doesn't see your ESC key when entered from the Treo 600's thumbboard. There is a work-around for this problem, however. If you install KeyCaps600 on your Treo 600, then you can get ESC characters to work. KeyCaps600 is a program that is designed to help you to enter capital letters and punctuation marks one-handed, that is, without having to use the Option or Shift keys on the Treo 600's thumbboard. With this program punctuation marks are entered by pressing the appropriate key twice in quick succession. For example, the "B" key of the Treo 600's thumbboard will normally enter a "#" character if pressed in conjunction with the Option key. With KeyCaps600 installed you can also get a "#" input by just pressing this key twice quickly. The amazing thing about this spiffy utility is that punctuation marks thus entered are recognized by pToolSet. So, I have set the "#" as my pToolSet ESC key and pressing the "B #" key twice with KeyCaps600 enabled brings up pMasterTool. It will also work with any other punctuation mark on the Treo 600's thumbboard.

NOTE. We thank RickR for discovering KeyCaps600's ESC key curing side effect.

QUESTION. What's a "glitch"?

ANSWER. Excellent question. Google "define: glitch". In short, it's a bug of minor relevance. For instance, when we board a plane for Oakland, CA, and end up in Auckland, NZ [true story, google "Oakland Auckland spelling"].

Disclaimer and Legal Statement

FOR LEGAL REASONS, LET ME STATE IT VERY EXPLICITLY AND VERY CLEARLY THAT THE USE OF PTOOLSET AND ALL ITS COMPONENTS CONSTITUTES A CONTRACT BETWEEN THE USER AND ME, AND THAT THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITH NO WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR TASK. THE USER ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS USE.

Acknowledgement

I thank Rick Bram [the developer of Pop!], Steve C. Gilardi, Carl Osterwald, Ken Hancock, Harry Konstas, Greg Parker [the developer of pssh], Michael J. Rider, and Andrew Welch who allowed me to use their fonts and/or font utilities in pEditTool.

Special thanks to Satoshi [SatoshiS] Sekino for helping me to alleviate problems with the bugs in Palm's implementation of NVFS [non-volatile file system].

I am grateful to Masaki [MasakiA] Adachi, Paolo [PaoloA] Amoroso, Wayne [WayneA] Arthurton, Bam [BamB] Bamir, John [JohnB] Basinger, Daniel [DanielB] Bergman, Paul [PaulB] Birkett, Christopher D. [ChrisDB] Bradley, Tom [TomB] Bress, David [DavidB] Brunner, Michael [MikeB] Bryan, Kenneth [KenB] Buffaloe, Michael [MichaelC] Connick, Ray [RayD] Drew, David [DavidE] Ellis, Luc [LucF] Ferland, Andy [AndyF] Fullerton, Neil [NeilG] Garforth, Alexis [AlexisG] Gallagher, Dave [DaveG] Golden, Peter [PeterG] R. Grierson, John [JohnH] Harms, Steven [StevenH] Hill, Urs [UrsH] Hunkler, Jesse [JesseJ] Jacobsen, John [JohnK] Kershaw, Arun [ArunK] Kartha, Richard [RichardK] Klinda, Steve [SteveK] Kunkel, Gary [GaryL] Learned, Gerry [GerryL] Levesque, Jose [JoseM] Mancho Sanchez, John [JohnM] Markley, Andy [AndyM] Mason, William [BillM1] McIntyre, William [BillM2] McKelvey, Ole [OleM] Mollenhauer, Jayesh [JayeshP] Parekh, Tim [TimP] Parris, Alberto [AlbertoP] Platania, Peter [PeterP] Povinec, Kent [KentP] Primrose, Kurt [KurtR] Raschke, Rick [RickR] Reynolds, Sander [SanderR] Roosendaal, Jeff [JeffR] Roule, Maya [MayaR] Rozenshein, Joachim [JoachimS] Sanders, Yaakov [YaakovS] Shlafman, Ian [IanS] Scorer, Kenneth [KenS] Smith, Dirk [DirkS] Spackman, Bill [BillS] Starr, Tom [TomS] Stoneham, Ron [RonT] Tyson, Jim [JimT] Tucker, Gary [GaryV] D. VanSant, Marcus [MarcusW] Williams, Blake [BlakeW] Winton, Peter [PeterW] Wirstrom, Roy [RoyV] C. van der Woning, Ken [KenW] Wright, and Winston [WinstonY] U. Yao who contributed to the development of pToolSet by their suggestions and/or testing and/or observations and/or bug reports.

Closure

Finally, please feel free to inform me of your wish list, suggestions, recommendations, [gentle] criticism, and so forth.

Sincerely,
Paul Nevai
peditor-in-Chief

E-mail: 2me@PaulComputing.com
Web:    www.paulcomputing.com

More from PaulComputing

I wrote dbCleanerUpper, EventAnalyzerHack, grepHack, LapTopHack, listNavigatorHack, menuNavigatorHack, the pedit family of text editors, printHack, pToolSet, Sporty [TBA], superFinderHack, and TimeSetter which are available from PaulComputing and eSellerate.

Development History

May 1, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.02 [6.02 is the initial release version number which is kept in sync with pedit].

May 4, 2002. pInfoTool's "LapTopHack" menu command is here [and gone on November 30, 2002].

May 5, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.03.

May 7, 2002. pToDoTool is here.

May 7, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.03 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

May 8, 2002. Fixed a bug in pToDoTool.

May 8, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.03 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

May 8, 2002. pToDoTool now remembers its previous priority setting [KentP].

May 8, 2002. pToDoTool now starts up with the "To Do List" application's current category setting.

May 8, 2002. LapTopHack and pToolSet started to communicate. LapTopHack substitutes some of its own routines by pToolSet modules as long as the Palm OS is at least 3.1 and the appropriate modules are installed [these modules do not need to be turned on via pToolOn].

May 8, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.03 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

May 9, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.04.

May 10, 2002. pToDoTool's "Secret" check box was renamed "Private" [RoyV].

May 13, 2002. pDateVolt has been replaced by pInfoTool [JohnK]. Please see here prior to installing the latest pToolSet.

May 14, 2002. Fixed a pToDoTool bug which appeared if the ToDo item description consisted of one single letter.

May 14, 2002. pToDoTool now remembers its previous due date setting [KentP]. As a consequence, your saved pToDoTool preferences will be wiped out.

May 14, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.05.

May 16, 2002. pTextTool is here.

May 16, 2002. pTextTool can be called up by LapTopHack via "ESC T" [upper case "T"] as long as the Palm OS is at least 3.1 and pTextTool is installed [it does not need to be turned on via pToolOn].

May 18, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.06.

May 20, 2002. New command toolbar icons are here [designed by JoachimS].

May 20, 2002. pTextTool with many more commands is here.

May 21, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.07.

May 22, 2002. Fixed a bug which kep relaunching pTextTool under certain circumstances if it was left in the "continue mode".

May 22, 2002. Fixed a bug which caused an occasional crash after the "Under construction..." push buttons were used in pTextTool [KentP, UrsH].

May 22, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.08.

May 22, 2002. pToolsOn and pToolsOff have been replaced by pToolOn and pToolOff, respectively [no "s"]. Please see here prior to installing the latest pToolSet.

May 23, 2002. pToolZapper is here.

May 23, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.08 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

May 24, 2002. pLineSortTool is here [pLineSortTool does not have a separate icon and it is located inside pTextTool.

May 25, 2002. Fixed a Shadow Plan command toolbar button icon ID number incompatibility [MikeB, UrsH, RoyW].

May 26, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.08 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

May 27, 2002. Line sorting via pLineSortTool can be interrupted [canceled] now.

May 27, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.09.

May 31, 2002. Two new selection commands in pTextTool: extension of the current text selection either to the text start or to the text end [UrsH].

May 31, 2002. The lower, Title, and UPPER case changing commands are here [see pTextTool].

May 31, 2002. The text field ruler [underline] changing commands are here [see pTextTool].

May 31, 2002. The "enter pMagiPad" command is here [see pTextTool].

June 2, 2002. The "Chars" push button is here [see pTextTool].

June 3, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.10.

June 6, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.11.

June 8, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.12.

June 11, 2002. pLineSortTool is now a separate module but without its own icon. It can be invoked from pTextTool and pEditTool only.

June 11, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.13.

June 11, 2002. A new set of command toolbar icons are here [designed by JoachimS].

June 11, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.14.

June 12, 2002. The first incarnation of pEditTool is here. It is subject to numerous changes [improvements] and has a number of unimplemented commands. Please do not send me feature requests for pEditTool until further notice. However, bug reports are very welcome.

June 13, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.14 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

June 14, 2002. pInfoTool gives info on the free/used/total stack space in your application.

June 15, 2002. pEditTool's automatic text indenter [auto indent] command is here.

June 15, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.14 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

June 15, 2002. Converted the pToolSet project to the Palm OS 5 SDK.

June 17, 2002. pEditTool's text block shifter [shift selection] command is here.

June 17, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.15.

June 18, 2002. pTextTool's and pEditTool's [built-in] font rotator command is here.

June 19, 2002. pToDoTool now uses pEditTool and no longer requires LapTopHack for text editing.

June 20, 2002. Memory usage [application stack space] optimization.

June 21, 2002. pTextTool's and pEditTool's font changer commands are here.

June 21, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.16.

June 25, 2002. pInfoTool's "Screen Coordinates" command is here.

June 26, 2002. pInfoTool's "Screen Size" command is here.

June 26, 2002. pInfoTool's "Open DataBases" command is here.

June 26, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.17.

June 27, 2002. pInfoTool's "Feature Numbers" command is here.

June 27, 2002. Please read about the "ADGW-Y-bug" here.

June 27, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.17 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

June 27, 2002. Both LapTopHack and menuNavigatorHack transparently fix pToolSet's "ADGW-Y-bug".

June 27, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.18.

June 28, 2002. The "ADGW-Y-bug" is fixed even without LapTopHack and menuNavigatorHack. However, LapTopHack and menuNavigatorHack do a cleaner fix. Either way it should be OK.

June 28, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.19.

July 1, 2002. As of version 6.20, pToolSet itself fixes the "WG-Y-bug". You must use version 6.20+ of LapTopHack and menuNavigatorHack with pToolSet 6.20+. Otherwise, pToolSet will fail to function properly.

July 1, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.20.

July 4, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.21.

July 5, 2002. pInfoTool's "Screen Size" command has been made more user friendly [PaoloA].

July 6, 2002. pInfoTool's "Palm Preferences" command is here.

July 7, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.22.

July 8, 2002. Fixed a minor display bug when scrolling the list in pInfoTool's "Palm Preferences" command.

July 8, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.22 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

July 8, 2002. pMasterTool is here [a major change in the design philosophy].

July 9, 2002. pMasterTool's new command toolbar icon is here [designed by JoachimS].

July 9, 2002. pMasterTool can be called up by LapTopHack either by "ESC S" [upper case "S"] or via a tap in the middle third of the very left-hand side of the Graffiti area [see the "Graffiti area hot spots" and the "undocumented features" sections in LapTopHack's manual] as long as the Palm OS is at least 3.1 [but it is functional only if the Palm OS is at least 3.5 and it was turned on via pToolOn]. This is especially useful when the command toolbar is not available such as the "Prefs" [Preferences] application.

July 11, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.23.

July 12, 2002. Improved text block shifting in pEditTool [JesseJ, UrsH].

July 12, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.24.

July 16, 2002. pMasterTool's "calendar" command is here [DavidE].

July 16, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.25.

July 17, 2002. pMasterTool's "Pin Reset" command is here.

July 19, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.26.

July 19, 2002. Renamed pMasterTool's "pTurnOff" command to "pToolOff" [WinstonY].

July 23, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.26 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

July 24, 2002. Fixed the "DBGJL-R-bug" [see here].

July 24, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.26 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

July 27, 2002. pMasterTool's "HotSync" command is here.

July 27, 2002. Improved navigation in pMasterTool.

July 27, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.27.

July 28, 2002. pMasterTool's "Palm Prefs" command is here.

July 28, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.27 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

July 29, 2002. More user friendly "Palm Prefs" command in pMasterTool [PeterW].

July 29, 2002. Aligned one check box in pToolZapper [BlakeW].

July 29, 2002. pMasterTool's "pScriptButtons" command is here.

July 29, 2002. pMasterTool's "pMagiPad" and "pScriptPad" commands are here.

July 29, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.27 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

August 8, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.28.

August 16, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.29.

August 17, 2002. The "Date'n'Time" in pInfoTool can display the time in both 12 and 24 hour formats [JimT].

August 17, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.30.

August 19, 2002. Added an am/pm indicator to the "Date'n'Time" in pInfoTool [JimT].

August 19, 2002. The "Date'n'Time" in pInfoTool can display the time with and without the leading 0 in the hour formats [JimT].

August 20, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.30 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date.

August 24, 2002. pMasterTool's "Invert BackLight" command is here [KenW].

August 25, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.30 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date.

October 12, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.35. There have been no new features since version 6.30.

October 19, 2002. pTextTool's "append current selection" command is here [WinstonY].

October 20, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.36.

October 30, 2002. Increased the inactivity timer from 5 seconds to 10 seconds after which pMasterTool self-quits.

October 30, 2002. Palm OS 5.1 is out and it has a problem [bug?] which has a major effect on pToolSet. I fixed the situation by rewriting the function involved in the problem [FrmGetActiveField()]. I am awaiting confirmation from Palm that the problem is indeed a bug.

October 30, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.39.

November 2, 2002. Improved Save Text and Restore Text in pEditTool.

November 2, 2002. Fixed some Palm OS 5.1 glitches in some of the pop-up lists such as the auto indent list in pEditTool. I can't decide if it was pToolSet's or Palm's fault but I fixed it anyway [JeffR, RonT].

November 2, 2002. Fixed a display update bug in pEditTool when the cursor was not fully erased after dismissing a pop-up list.

November 2, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.40 [only the demo version].

November 4, 2002. Better Palm OS 5 compatibility.

November 4, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.40 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

November 5, 2002. The pMasterTool command toolbar icon is Palm OS 5 compatible. I can't decide if it was pToolSet's or Palm's fault but I am happy I could fix it at all. It wasn't easy [GaryL, JeffR, RonT].

November 5, 2002. Fixed a bug in pToolZapper [GaryL, JeffR, RonT].

November 5, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.41.

November 8, 2002. The optional and experimental pToolButtons_OS5.prc is here. Please read 00README_OS5.txt prior to installing it.

November 10, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.42 [only the demo version].

November 11, 2002. The optional pToolButtons_OS5.prc is here. Please read 00README_OS5.txt prior to installing it.

November 11, 2002. pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command is here for Palm OS 5+. It is under development and full documentation will come later. For the time being, please read 00README_OS5.txt.

November 11, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.42 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

November 11, 2002. pMasterTool's "pToolZapper" command is here.

November 12, 2002. Fixed a Palm OS 5 bug effecting pTextTool [PeterW].

November 12, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.42 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

November 15, 2002. More Palm OS 5 related features.

November 15, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.42 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

November 16, 2002. More Palm OS 5 related features such as "press" and "press'n'hold" with the hardware buttons.

November 16, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.42 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

November 17, 2002. pTextTool's "deTitle case selection" command is here.

November 17, 2002. pMasterTool's "toggle debugMode" command is here [currently it is useful in Palm OS 5+ only].

November 17, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.42 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

November 20, 2002. Many more Palm OS 5 related features [see pToolPrefs and the "pToolSet Prefs" command in pMasterTool].

November 20, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.43.

November 20, 2002. Even more Palm OS 5 related features [see pToolPrefs and the "pToolSet Prefs" command in pMasterTool].

November 20, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.43 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

November 21, 2002. More Palm OS 5 related features [see pToolPrefs and the "pToolSet Prefs" command in pMasterTool].

November 21, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.43 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

November 25, 2002. More choices in pToolPrefs and in pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command [the preferences set in previous versions have been reset to their default values].

November 25, 2002. The pToolSet native pMagiPad [aka magiPad] and pScriptPad [aka scriptPad] are here. They were not yet fully tested and I am looking forward to user feedback.

November 28, 2002. Some Palm OS 5 bug related fixes in pInfoTool [for instance, calling up the "Palm Preferences" command twice caused an instantaneous reset in the Tungsten T].

November 28, 2002. pMasterTool's "toggle BackLight" command is here [PeterW].

November 28, 2002. pMasterTool has a new face.

November 28, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.43 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

November 29, 2002. pMasterTool's "Data LookUp" command is here.

November 29, 2002. pMasterTool's "pEditTool" command is here.

November 29, 2002. pTextTool has been streamlined to reflect the change that pEditTool is now a separate command.

November 29, 2002. pMasterTool's "power off" command is here.

November 29, 2002. More choices in pToolPrefs and in pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command [the preferences set in previous versions have been reset to their default values].

November 29, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.44.

November 30, 2002. pInfoTool's "auto-off timer" command is here.

November 30, 2002. pInfoTool's and pToDoTool's menus have been streamlined to reflect the change in pMasterTool.

November 30, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.44 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 1, 2002. Fixed a bug in pInfoTool's "auto-off timer" command.

December 1, 2002. More choices in pToolPrefs and in pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command [the preferences set in previous versions have been reset to their default values].

December 1, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45.

December 1, 2002. Tap actions are here [see pToolPrefs and pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command].

December 3, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 4, 2002. Improved algorithm for the stroke and tap actions.

December 4, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 4, 2002. pInfoTool has new "DateStamp" and "TimeStamp" commands complementing the "DateTimeStamp" command.

December 4, 2002. pMasterTool's "paste date", "paste time", and "paste date'n'time" commands are here.

December 5, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 5, 2002. pMasterTool can be navigated also by tapping the SilkSCreen "ABC" [page up] and "123" buttons [page down].

December 5, 2002. Fixed a typo in pMasterTool which led to mislabeling of actions entered via keyboards.

December 5, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 6, 2002. pMasterTool's "change case" command is here.

December 6, 2002. New button/stroke/tap actions in pToolPrefs and in pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command.

December 6, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 8, 2002. The optional pToolButtons_OS5.prc has been renamed pToolButtonsPro.prc. Is meant to be used in all Palm OSs from 3.5 and up. Please read 00README_pToolButtonsPro.txt and/or 00README_OS5.txt prior to installing it.

December 8, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 8, 2002. New button/stroke/tap actions in pToolPrefs and in pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command.

December 9, 2002. New commands in pMasterTool.

December 9, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 9, 2002. Improved navigation in pMasterTool.

December 9, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 10, 2002. pInfoTool's "DateStamp", "TimeStamp", and "DateTimeStamp" commands, and pMasterTool's "paste date", "paste time", and "paste date'n'time" commands no longer leave the date and/or time stamp selected.

December 10, 2002. Small bug fix in pMasterTool [now "." works to cancel pMasterTool].

December 10, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 11, 2002. New button/stroke/tap actions in pToolPrefs and in pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command.

December 14, 2002. Optional incremental search in pMasterTool is here.

December 14, 2002. Improved navigation in pMasterTool.

December 16, 2002. Improved navigation in pMasterTool [JoachimS].

December 20, 2002. The experimental pDateTool is here [documentation will follow soon; see the "i-Tips" help files].

December 20, 2002. New button/stroke/tap actions in pToolPrefs and in pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command. The pMasterTool preferences have been reset [I apologize but it was necessary because of a finetuning job].

December 20, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 20, 2002. Fine-tuning of pDateTool.

December 20, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 21, 2002. Fine-tuning of pDateTool [JeffR, WinstonY].

December 21, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 22, 2002. A 12 am/pm bug fix in pDateTool.

December 22, 2002. New menu commands in pDateTool.

December 22, 2002. pDateTool's alarms support DateBk5 now.

December 22, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 22, 2002. A minor display bug fix in pDateTool.

December 22, 2002. pDateTool's "Start:" label became a functional button [equivalent to the "Right Now Event" menu command].

December 22, 2002. pDateTool's "Length:" label became a functional button [equivalent to the "Untimed Event" menu command].

December 22, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 23, 2002. Improved pToDoTool.

December 23, 2002. pToDoTool in no longer supported via LapTopHack.

December 23, 2002. pDateTool's documentation is here.

December 23, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.45 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 25, 2002. The experimental pSearchTool is here [documentation will follow soon, no recent/favorite string support yet, the interface is similar to superFinderHack albeit greatly improved].

December 25, 2002. New button/stroke/tap actions in pToolPrefs and in pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command, including pSearchTool, pFindTool, and pAddressTool [the latter two are not yet operational]. The pMasterTool preferences have been reset [I apologize but it was necessary because of a finetuning job].

December 25, 2002. The alarm dialog in pDateTool now fully supports Graffiti and keyboard input.

December 25, 2002. pEditTool's "Find" [the "F" button] and "Find Again" [the "G" button] commands are here.

December 26, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.46.

December 26, 2002. Treo and Tungsten owners rejoice. DisplayScreen tap actions are here [see pToolPrefs and pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command].

December 26, 2002. Many new button/stroke/tap actions in pToolPrefs and in pMasterTool's "pToolSet Prefs" command.

December 27, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.46 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 28, 2002. A bugfix in pDateTool and pSearchTool [a continuous loop started when tapping the "HOME" button, KurtR, KenS].

December 28, 2002. The case changing procedure was significantly optimized and accelerated in all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

December 30, 2002. Released pToolSet 6.46 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 31, 2002. A bugfix in pSearchTool [the ".Cancel" button didn't work].

December 31, 2002. More 5-way navigator button support for the Tungsten family of Palms [DaveG].

January 1, 2003. pDateTool's and pToDoTool's "Toggle AddMode" menu command is here [DaveG].

January 1, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.47.

January 2, 2003. The finished pSearchTool is here.

January 3, 2003. Much improved organization of the manual.

January 3, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.47 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

January 5, 2003. Improved list navigation [PeterW].

January 5, 2003. pFindTool, the OS 5+ compatible cousin of superFinderHack, is here.

January 7, 2003. Improved user interface in pDateTool and pToDoTool [RickR].

January 7, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.47 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

January 8, 2003. More 5-way navigator button support for the Tungsten family of Palms [PeterW].

January 8, 2003. Improved pToolZapper.

January 8, 2003. pFindTool and superFinderHack can happily co-exist in Palm OS 4-.

January 8, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.47 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

January 9, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.47 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

January 11, 2003. pMasterTool, that is, pToolPrefs, as an idividual pToolSet module and as a pToolSet preference setter, is here [another major change in the design philosophy].

NOTE. Your pMasterTool preferences [see pToolPrefs] such as the button/stroke/tap preferences [but no other preferences] will be wiped out when you install the new version. If this really inconveniences you, then you can save them using RsrcEdit. Namely, after installing the new pToolSet BUT before using it, just use RsrcEdit to open up the "Saved Preferences" DB and change the type ID of all "pnON" preferences to "pnMT".

January 12, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.48.

January 12, 2003. pInfoTool's "Toggle WindowSize" menu command [or enter "w" and "." = cancel] is here. Try it!

January 14, 2003. pMagiPad and pScriptPad are now resizable both via menu and "ESC" commands. Try them!

January 15, 2003. Fixed an OS 5 incompatibility which caused pToolSet 6.48 to hang after HotSyncs on Tungsten T.

January 16, 2003. pFindTool's recent and favorite lists get displayed in a larger format [PeterW].

January 16, 2003. pMasterTool's "calendar" command has been improved [RayD].

January 19, 2003. pInfoTool's date'n'time display, calendar's datestamp, pInfoTool's "DateStamp", "TimeStamp", and "DateTimeStamp" commands, and pMasterTool's "paste date", "paste time", and "paste date'n'time" commands all use the preferences set in the "Formats" Preference Panel [RayD].

January 19, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.49.

January 19, 2003. A minor improvement in printing various datestamps [switched from "numeric space" to "regular space" which improves compatibility with custom fonts].

January 19, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.49 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date]

January 22, 2003. pInfoTool has a new RAM and ROM dialog [tap on the RAM display selection trigger].

January 22, 2003. Newly designed and very practical Online Help.

January 24, 2003. Improved pInfoTool.

January 24, 2003. pTipsTool with incremental, forward, and backward search is here.

January 29, 2003. Started to work on pScriptTool.

January 30, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.50.

February 2, 2003. pScriptTool is here [documentation will soon follow]. The first incarnation of pScriptTool works in conjunction with LapTopHack [only with Palm OS 3.5 - 4.x] and pedit [only with Palm OS 3.5 or newer, including OS 5+]. pScriptTool, LapTopHack, and pedit must be at least version 6.51. In Palm OS5+, pScriptTool is functional only while pedit is running and it can only activate pedit pScripts. Please note that peditLight is not scriptable.

February 6, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.51.

February 18, 2003. The expert mode ["e"] in pInfoTool's "Screen Coordinates..." menu command is here.

February 23, 2003. pScriptTool is fully functional in OS3.5+, including OS5, and it is equivalent to LapTopHack's pScripting with the following exceptions. The "runtime" /&control [...], the "right now" /&control@ [...], and the "last action" /&script$ [...] functions have not been implemented, and the "/&setKeyQSize [...]" function only works in OS4-.

February 24, 2003. pScriptTool's "runtime" /&control [...] and the "right now" /&control@ [...] functions are here as long as pToolButtonsPro is installed.

NOTE. pScriptTool's "runtime" /&control [...] and the "right now" /&control@ [...] functions in OS5+ are not as powerful as in OS4- since in the former certain "tricks" can't be performed. However, only "sophisticated" pScripts will suffer from this when two or more of these functions are used in the same pScript.

March 1, 2003. pScriptTool's "last action" /&script$ [...] function is here as long as pToolButtonsPro is installed.

NOTE. pScriptTool's "last action" /&script$ [...] function in OS5+ is not as accurate as in OS4- since in the former certain "tricks" can't be performed. However, only "sophisticated" pScripts will suffer from this shortcoming.

March 6, 2003. pRotatorTool is here as long as pToolButtonsPro is installed [documentation will soon follow, enter "h", "H", or "?" for help in pRotatorTool].

March 6, 2003. Fixed a bug in pMasterTool. The Data Lookup and HotSync commands were mixed up [DirkS].

March 8, 2003. Fixed a bug in pRotatorTool [SanderR, DirkS].

March 8, 2003. The experimental pPointerTool is here as long as pToolButtonsPro is installed [documentation will soon follow, enter "?" for help in pPointerTool]. Please report all bugs to me.

March 9, 2003. The experimental pGraffitiTool is here as long as pToolButtonsPro is installed [documentation will soon follow, enter "?" for help in pGraffitiTool]. pGraffitiTool will evolve in the coming days. The initial implementation is essentially pPointerTool + entering the "g" command except that it can also remember the "previous state".

April 1, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.55.

April 3, 2003. pTipsTool is turned off in DateBk5 in order to allow for DateBk5's non-standard help engine to operate [BillM1].

April 5, 2003. More user friendly pToolZapper [AlbertoP].

April 6, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.56.

April 19, 2003. Fixed a bug (a typo in the source code) which caused a crash in the demo version of pTextTool [DavidB].

April 19, 2003. Started to work on the pReplaceTool mode of pSearchTool.

April 19, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.57.

May 1, 2003. Improved OS 5.2.1 compatibility - no more crashes of pGraffitiTool on the Tungsten C.

May 2, 2003. Improved OS 5.2.1 compatibility - "press'n'hold" with the hardware buttons works now as expected on the Tungsten C.

May 3, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.58.

May 18, 2003. The pReplaceTool mode of pSearchTool is here.

May 18, 2003. Both pDateTool and pToDoTool allow to go to the last item added in the corresponding application [IanS].

May 20, 2003. Fine tuning the "Go To Last Item" command in pDateTool and pToDoTool [IanS].

May 22, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.59.

May 23, 2003. Fine tuning pReplaceTool mode of pSearchTool.

May 29, 2003. The "run pScript_XX" special actions are here.

May 30, 2003. Optimizing and fine tuning pToolButtonsPro.

May 30, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.60.

June 1, 2003. Fixed a bug which messed up the display when toggling the incremental search mode in pMasterTool.

June 4, 2003. Fixed a bug which allowed only 15 character search strings in pFindTool instead of 16 [BillS].

June 4, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.61.

June 10, 2003. As a first step towards customizable pMasterTools [sic, plural], pMasterTool has been completely rewritten and the "select'n'activate by label" mechanism has been greatly improved.

June 10, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.62.

June 11, 2003. Improved OS 5.2.1 compatibility - 5-way navigation in lists such as pMasterTool works now as expected on the Tungsten C.

June 18, 2003. Fixed a rare display problem which could happen during list navigation.

June 18, 2003. Improved list navigation.

June 18, 2003. As a second step towards customizable pMasterTools [sic, plural], pMasterTool has its own preferences which can be set via the "pMasterT prefs" and the "pToolSet prefs" commands in pMasterTool, or by launching pToolPrefs.

June 19, 2003. Customizable pMasterTools [sic, plural] are here.

June 20, 2003. All pMasterTools can be assigned to buttons/strokes/taps [see the "pMasterTool #X" special actions].

June 20, 2003. Fixed a bug which caused a conflict between the 5-way navigator and the incremental search mode in pMasterTool.

June 21, 2003. The "power off" special action is here [WinstonY]. Please read here about an interesting consideration when using it.

June 23, 2003. pMasterTool's "pMasterT on left", "pMasterT centered", and "pMasterT on right" commands are here [WinstonY].

June 23, 2003. pMasterTool's "cut text [32K]", "copy text [32K]", "paste text], and "select all text" commands are here [LucF].

June 26, 2003. The "current pMasterT" and "built-in pMasterT" special actions are here.

June 26, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.63.

June 26, 2003. pMasterTool's "Palm Sound Prefs" command is here [PeterW].

June 26, 2003. The "Palm Prefs" and "Palm Sound Prefs" special actions are here [PeterW].

June 26, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.63 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

July 13, 2003. Fixed an oversight wich allowed numerous pToolSet commands to be performed in pop-up lists. The latter sometimes resulted in garbled displays.

July 13, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.63 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

July 17, 2003. Fixed a bug a pToolZapper. If help was invoked via the "Help" button instead of the "i-Tips" button or pTipsTool was not installed, then pToolZapper crashed. This bug must have been present since January 24, 2003, when pTipsTool was added.

July 21, 2003. Fixed a bug in the pScriptorial tokens "/Pa" and "/PA", and in the "/&appName []" pFunction in pScriptTool. Both pedit and LapTopHack were free of this bug.

July 23, 2003. pLaunchList is here. It is a library shared by pedit, LapTopHack, and pToolSet for launching applications from any directory of all expansion cards via pScripting.

July 23, 2003. pScriptPad's "Insert pScript" menu command is here.

July 26, 2003. pScriptTool's "Rotate Start Mode" and "Toggle Instant Mode" menu commands are here.

July 31, 2003. pScriptTool's "Switch Favorites" and "Rename Favorites" menu commands are here.

August 1, 2003. Greatly improved Delete Recent and Delete Favorites commands in pFindTool, pScriptTool, and pSearchTool.

August 2, 2003. Direct access to pScriptTool from pFindTool and pSearchTool.

August 2, 2003. The "pScriptTool #X" special actions are here.

August 2, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.64. This is a substantial upgrade.

August 3, 2003. Running pScripts via pToolSet no longer requires a pedit to be present.

August 3, 2003. pMagiPad's and pScriptPad's "QopyPaste" [Copy'n'Paste] button is here.

August 5, 2003. pToolSet functions independently of pedit. In particular, neither pMagiPad nor pScriptPad require that pedit be installed. In additon, pToolSet works even if a non-registered pedit is present on your Palm Powered hendheld. However, if both are installed, then pToolSet and pedit continue communicating to each other.

August 5, 2003. In preparation of enabling multiple sets of magiPad [aka pMagiPad] and scriptPad [aka pScriptPad], the structure of their saved preferences have changed, and, therefore, LapTopHack, pedit, and pToolSet all must have at least version 6.65. Otherwise, they may not communicate with each other properly.

August 5, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.65.

August 6, 2003. Fixed a bug which interfered with the location of pMasterTool [WinstonY].

August 6, 2003. Fixed a bug which did not allow to run pMagiPad and pScriptPad independently of pedit under certain rare circumstances [WinstonY].

August 6, 2003. Released pToolSet 6.65 [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

August 26, 2003. The "Auto Caps Toggler" [automatic capitalization of sentences] menu command is here in pDateTool, pEditTool, and pToDoTool [IanS].

September 1, 2003. Replaced "ESC X" by "ESC Z" in both pDateTool and pToDoTool. This resolves a small conflict [SanderR].

September 4, 2003. pSearchTool has been greatly optimized and a few [unreported] bugs have been eliminated.

September 7, 2003. More 5-way navigator button support in pDateTool and pToDoTool.

September 12, 2003. pedit, pToolSet, and LapTopHack open magiPad [pMagiPad] and scriptPad [pScriptPad] on demand only so that, for instance, pToolSet can use magiPad even in pedit. Up to version 6.xx, pedit monopolized magiPad and scriptPad.

September 18, 2003. Visual feedback with "press'n'hold", "press'n'hold'n'hold", and "stop pressing" during button presses if special actions are assigned to them. I got the idea from TealLaunch which is one of the best utility hacks.

October 10, 2003. pTextEngine1 is here.

October 15, 2003. pEditTool's "Pad" menu is here.

October 15, 2003. pEditTool's optional black buttons [well, they are really colored] are here. Use the "Black Buttons Toggler" in the "Opt" menu.

October 17, 2003. pEditTool's ruler toggler has become sticky [DanielB].

November 23, 2003. Released version 7.00 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

WARNING. If you use version 7.xx or newer of any of the pedits, LapTopHack, or pToolSet, then all your pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet must be 7.xx or newer since they are not compatible with version 6.xx or older.

NOTE. I suggest that you keep a backup copy of your peditDB.pdb which is somewhere in your HotSync backup directory on your desktop computer since you may need it in the highly unlikely event that you decide go back to versions 6.xx of pedit, pToolSet, and LapTopHack.

NOTE. The pedit, LapTopHack, and pToolSet manuals will be updated to version 7.xx shortly.

NOTE. In pedit, LapTopHack, and pToolSet version 7.xx some of the saved preferences have been reset.

November 25, 2003. Fixed a bug which did not allow to save sufficient number of recent and favorite strings in pFindTool, pScriptTool, and pSearchTool [PeterW, RayD].

November 26, 2003. Released version 7.01 of pToolSet.

December 16, 2003. The much improved pPointerTool is here.

December 16, 2003. The experimental LapTopHack style "special hacks" are here. Everything is subject to change and glitches are expected. Look for the "i-Tips" buttons on the left side of some title bars. See, for instance, the "Category Editor" dialog, or hit "Details" in the built-in "Date Book" application when no appointment is selected [you will see a hacked "alert"].

December 17, 2003. Released version 7.02 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

December 17, 2003. The invisible and fully transparently working pSharedEngine1 is here.

December 21, 2003. The no longer experimental LapTopHack style "special hacks" are here.

December 21, 2003. The LapTopHack style "Date Selector" and "Date Master" "special hacks" are here. Look for the "i-Tips" button on the left side and the "M" button on the right side of the date selector title bar.

December 27, 2003. The invisible and fully transparently working pSharedEngine2 is here.

December 27, 2003. pToolZapper can now delete pSharedEngines as well.

December 27, 2003. pMasterTool's menus are here.

December 28, 2003. pMasterTool's "Ruler Zapper" [underline remover in text fields] is here. In Palm OS 5.x and newer, it doesn't work in tables such as Date Book's appointment page.

December 29, 2003. pMasterTool's "32K ClipBoard" is here. It extends all text cutting and copying operations transparently from the built-in 1K to 32K. It works only if you run Palm OS 4.x or older [BillS].

December 29, 2003. In view of the many new features, pToolSet 7.03 or newer deletes pMasterTool's saved preferences of versions 7.02 or older. In addition, please do a pin-reset of your Palm after reinstalling pToolSet 7.03+ the first time. All other saved preferences remain untouched.

January 1, 2004. pEditTool's "Delete Text" and "Data Lookup" menu commands are here.

January 1, 2004. pMasterTool's "Auto pEditTool on|off" menu command is here. It transparently invokes pEditTool when editing attached notes in Palm OS and in numerous third party appications, including DateBk, ToDo PLUS, and Shadow.

January 2, 2004. pEditTool support for the Tungsten T3's screen size changer feature is here.

January 2, 2004. Direct pEditTool support of Memo Pad, including the new Memos of Palm devices such as the Tungsten T3, is here.

January 9, 2004. pMasterTool's "Alert Fixer on|off" menu command is here. This is useful for, say, Zire 71 users, where "alert hacking" doesn't seem to work properly.

January 11, 2004. pEditTool's "Scroll Bar Rotator" menu command is here [RayD, PeterW].

January 12, 2004. pEditTool's "M" [Memo Pad] menu is here. Use the "i-Tips" for details and button slider equivalents.

January 14, 2004. pMasterTool's "32K ClipBoard" is here for all Palm OS 3.5+.

January 15, 2004. Released version 7.03 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

January 15, 2004. Started to work on pMemoTool.

January 18, 2004. pMemoTool is here.

January 23, 2004. New menu commands in pMasterTool's "Act" menu.

January 23, 2004. New "export to Memo Pad" menu commands in pEditTool's "Act" menu.

January 24, 2004. The "export all text" and "export selection" special actions are here.

January 26, 2004. Circumvented a nasty Tungsten T3 OS bug which caused a crash in pEditTool under certain circumstances when "data lookup" was invoked directly from pMasterTool instead of using pEditTool's similar command [AndyM].

January 26, 2004. Released version 7.04 of pToolSet.

January 31, 2004. special actions can be assigned to taps on the left and right side of the display screen.

January 31, 2004. Visual feedback for display screen taps associated with special actions.

January 31, 2004. Graffiti area taps associated with special actions have improved Tungsten T3 compatibility.

February 1, 2004. Released version 7.04 of pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

February 2, 2004. Tapping outside shrunken pMagiPad/pScriptPad repositions it [YaakovS].

February 3, 2004. pMasterTool's "clear clipboard" command is here. [WayneA]

February 3, 2004. pEditTool's "Append to Clipboard" and "Clear Clipboard" menu commands are here.

February 5, 2004. Fixed a bug which interfered with invoking pFindTool when "tap" special actions were enabled [PeterP].

February 9, 2004. pDeskAccList [desk accessory or DA] is here.

February 9, 2004. The demo version of pToolSet nags only on weekdays.

February 12, 2004. pDeskAccTool [desk accessory or DA] is here.

February 13, 2004. pScriptTool's Set StartUp Mode menu command is here.

February 13, 2004. Released version 7.05 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

NOTE. Since pedit, LapTopHack, and pToolSet share components, if you use more than one of them, then they all must be updated to version 7.05.

February 15, 2004. pLaunchList and pLaunchTool are here.

February 17, 2004. Started to work on Treo 600 and, hopefully, Palm OS 6.x compatibility.

February 19, 2004. pLaunchEngine1, taking over some jobs from pLaunchList, is here.

February 21, 2004. Released version 7.06 of and pToolSet.

February 22, 2004. Released version 7.06 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet [pToolSet is the same as the one released on 2/21/2004].

February 25, 2004. pLaunchTool's "Card Appls" button is here.

February 25, 2004. pLaunchList's "Switch Favorites" command is here.

February 25, 2004. pDeskAccList's and pLaunchList's ".cancel" command is here.

February 26, 2004. Released version 7.06 of and pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

February 29, 2004. Fixed a Tungsten T3 DIA [dynamic input area] related pMasterTool bug [KenB, JeffR, PeterW].

February 29, 2004. The dynamically expanding pMasterTool is here for the Tungsten T3.

February 29, 2004. pLaunchList's "Switch Favorites" command has been optimized.

March 2, 2004. Renamed pLaunchToolPro to pLaunchTool, and pLaunchTool to pLaunchList, and, similarly, pDeskAccToolPro to pDeskAccTool, and pDeskAccTool to pDeskAccList.

March 3, 2004. Released version 7.06 of and pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

March 6, 2004. Fixed a pLaunchList bug effecting OS 3.5- [IanS].

March 6, 2004. Released version 7.07 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

March 21, 2004. Brand new list navigation.

March 21, 2004. The "data lookup" special action is here [AndyM].

March 21, 2004. Released version 7.08 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

March 22, 2004. Additional eighty "run pScript_XX" special actions are here with a combined total of one hundred.

March 23, 2004. The LapTopHack and pToolSet compatible pScriptRunner mini-applications are here [BamB and TimP].

April 8, 2004. Fixed a VersaMail, more precisely, an MMWizard conflict [PaulB]. Yet another case when the Palm rules have been violated. This time it was a built-in Palm application which committed it.

April 15, 2004. pToolSetBoundScripts have been here for a long time but I just realized that I forgot to document them. Please see pedit's manual [see here online] for details on pToolSetBoundScripts.

April 18, 2004. The entire pScriptEngine1 has been optimized and re-written from the ground up with noticeable increase in execution speed. Many rules have been relaxed and some bugs were eliminated.

April 18, 2004. Released version 7.09 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

April 22, 2004. pMasterTool's "pScript /&menu@[ID] on" menu command is here.

April 24, 2004. Released version 7.10 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

May 2, 2004. pToolZapper allows to delete component preferences without deleting the components themselves [JohnK].

May 7, 2004. pToolZapper gets a facelift [JohnK].

May 8, 2004. pControlTool is here.

May 13, 2004. pRotatorTool with numerous new features is here.

May 17, 2004. The quick pScript activation mechanism is here [see pedit's manual or here for the details, look for the words "high-ASCII"] [JohnH].

May 20, 2004. Released version 7.11 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

June 15, 2004. pScriptEngine2 is here.

August 13, 2004. LapTopHack and pToolSet share the same pScriptEngines. In particular, {LTH_script::pScriptName::pScriptText} and {PTS_script::pScriptName::pScriptText} have been replaced by the common {GLOBAL_script::pScriptName::pScriptText}.

September 14, 2004. Released version 7.12 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

September 22, 2004. The pToolSet implementation of pScriptButtons is here [JimT].

September 29, 2004. Released version 7.13 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

October 6, 2004. The "pMagiPad #X" special actions are here [JohnB].

October 9, 2004. Released version 7.14 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

October 19, 2004. Fixed a "pMagiPad #X" special action related minor bug [JimT].

October 26, 2004. Released version 7.15 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

November 8, 2004. Direct launch of top items in the "recent" and "favorite" list in pScriptTool via button sliding, ESC keys, and menu commands [ChrisDB].

November 8, 2004. Released version 7.15 of pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 10, 2004. pMemoTool, if used as a pToolSet module, now supports the DIA [dynamic input area].

December 10, 2004. pToolSet is now Tungsten T5 compatible by circumventing numerous bugs in the Tungsten T5 OS [MarcusW, TomS].

December 10, 2004. pToolSet is now Treo 650 compatible by circumventing numerous bugs in the Treo 650 OS [MichaelC].

NOTE. The automatic enabling of pToolSet has been disabled in the Treo 650, since a bug in the Treo 650's HotSync caused crashes. Instead, you need to run pToolOn (aka pToolSetOn) manually after every HotSync. However, there is no need to run pToolOff (aka pToolSetOff) before every HotSync. The latter remains automatic.

December 10, 2004. Released version 7.15 of pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 23, 2004. More Tungsten T5, Treo 600, and Treo 650 compatibility.

December 23, 2004. Released version 7.16 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

December 26, 2004. More 5-way navigator, Tungsten T5, Treo 600, and Treo 650 compatibility.

December 26, 2004. Released version 7.16 of all pedits and pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

December 27, 2004. More 5-way navigator, Tungsten T5, Treo 600, and Treo 650 compatibility.

December 28, 2004. Fixed a pRotatorTool error [ArunK].

December 28, 2004. Fixed an error effecting page scrolling and such [BillS].

December 28, 2004. Released version 7.16 of all pedits and pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

January 2, 2005. The "older brightness" [similar to "adjust brightness" except it is meant for older Palms] and the "command toolbar" special actions are here.

January 8, 2005. More 5-way navigator, Tungsten T5, Treo 600, and Treo 650 compatibility.

January 8, 2005. Released version 7.16 of all pedits and pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

January 16, 2005. Released version 7.17 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

February 4, 2005. The pMasterTool application shows up with the more appropriate name pToolPrefs in the Palm's application launcher.

February 4, 2005. The control bar [aka status bar] taps are here [see the "Taps" button in pToolPrefs].

February 16, 2005. Released version 7.18 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

February 17, 2005. Fixed the "Palm Sound Prefs" pMasterTool and pInfoTool command and also special action which didn't work on certain Palm Powered handhelds [MayaR].

February 17, 2005. Optimized processing of the special action taps.

February 20, 2005. I number of new buttonSlides in pEditTool; see the "i-Tips" button or here for details.

February 20, 2005. Released version 7.18 of pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

February 24, 2005. Improved compatibility of pFindTool with the Treo and Tungsten family of Palm Powered handhelds [KenB, YaakovS].

March 21, 2005. pMasterTool and pTextTool now use the pScriptorial globalMacroMode, as discussed in pedit's manual [see here online].

March 22, 2005. pEditTool's "Arrows by 5-way on|off" menu command is here [AlexisG, RickR].

March 22, 2005. Released version 7.18 of pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

March 24, 2005. Improved pRotatorTool.

April 4, 2005. Extensive direct support of pRotatorTool in various pToolSet modules.

April 6, 2005. The "stop pressing" message during button presses, if special actions are assigned to them, has been replaced by "button press has been canceled" [PeterW].

April 21, 2005. pRotatorTool can buttonSlide.

May 1, 2005. Released version 7.19 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

May 8, 2005. New pEditTool fonts, including some high resolution ones, are here [the high resolution fonts appear on your font lists only if the OS version of your Palm Powered handheld is at least 5.0].

May 11, 2005. Numerous Treo 650 compatibility fixes [testing on DaveG's Treo 650].

May 17, 2005. Released version 7.20 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

June 2, 2005. Fixed a DIA [dynamic input area] related pInfoTool bug.

August 3, 2005. Both peditPro and pToolSet have extensive Dynamic Input Area [DIA] support. No other flavor of pedit supports the DIA.

August 16, 2005. Released version 8.00 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

October 15, 2005. Fixed a bug which a resulted in an incorrect "no ControlBar on this Palm..." message [ArunK and JohnM].

October 15, 2005. Released version 8.01 of pToolSet.

November 4, 2005. pToolSet is now compatible with NVFS and with Palm Powered handhelds such as the Palm TX [SatoshiS, MasakiA, JohnM].

November 5, 2005. Improved "Date Master".

November 6, 2005. Released version 8.01 of pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

January 18, 2006. Fixed a Palm OS bug related to handling the 5-way navigator key which appeared on certain Palms such as the Tungsten E2 [LucF].

January 19, 2006. Released version 8.02 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

February 8, 2006. The "export clipboard" special action and also the similar pMasterTool command are here.

February 8, 2006. The "open peditXX" special actions are here [IanS].

February 8, 2006. The "open prev appl" special action and also the similar menu command in pMasterTool's "Act" menu are here. The same command is also available in pLaunchTool [via "ESC b" or the upButtonSlided "Run" button], and pLaunchList [both in the full list and in the favorite lists]. Here "prev" means "previous". [JohnM]

February 15, 2006. Released version 8.02 of pToolSet [previous version number but with new compilation time'n'date].

February 16, 2006. pTextEngine2 is here.

February 26, 2006. Improved editing in pFindTool, pLaunchTool, pScriptTool, and pSearchTool.

April 25, 2006. Released version 8.03 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

NOTE. If you use pStringVariables in your pScripts, then please pin-reset your Palm after installing 8.03 since the format has changed.

April 26, 2006. Improved navigation in pScriptButtons via pRotatorTool [JohnM].

May 7, 2006. Improved navigation in pLaunchTool via pRotatorTool [JohnM].

May 15, 2006. Improved list navigation [JohnM].

May 18, 2006. Released version 8.04 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

June 4, 2006. Moved the timeout option from pToolPrefs to pMasterTool's "Opt" menu.

June 10, 2006. Brand new interface to the hard button special actions [SteveK, JohnM].

June 29, 2006. Fixed the non-sticky left-handedness Palm OS bug. Set left-handedness via pMasterTool's "Opt" menu [NeilG].

July 1, 2006. The "open AddrList", "open DateBook", "open MemoPad", "open TaskList", "turn WiFi on", "turn WiFi off", "toggle WiFi", "screen portrait", "screen landscape", "rotate screen", "turn DIA on", "turn DIA off", and "toggle DIA" special actions are here [SteveK, JohnM].

July 7, 2006. More "open XXX" and "play XXX" special actions are here.

July 10, 2006. Released version 8.06 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

July 12, 2006. The pScriptorial "/&specAct [...]" pFunction is here [see pedit's manual for details].

August 23, 2006. pToolPrefs has two new buttons named "my Apps" and "SpecActIDs". The former is used to customize the "open my appl" special actions, whereas the latter is used for the "/&specAct [...]" pFunction.

August 26, 2006. Released version 8.07 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

September 25, 2006. Improved list navigation in the incremental search mode and the numerical search mode is here [JohnM and SteveK].

December 2, 2006. pSearchEngine1, taking over some jobs from pSearchTool, is here.

December 25, 2006. pRotatorTool now uses hard-buttons too.

January 10, 2007. Treo and other thumbboard users rejoice. pMasterTool and some other lists now supports simplified list navigation using lower cased letters found on thumbboards [see here for details].

January 14, 2007. The "tap action button" special action is here.

January 15, 2007. Released version 8.08 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

January 16, 2007. pLaunchTool collection's "Set ListNav Mode..." menu command is here.

January 19, 2007. Fine-tuned list navigation.

January 25, 2007. pAsciiTool is here [TomB]. This requires pToolSetPro.

February 5, 2007. pLaunchEngine2 is here; it houses pLaunchTool's and pDeskAccTool's "recent" and "favorite" application and desk accessory list manager tools [JohnM]. This nags without pToolSetPro.

February 6, 2007. Released version 8.09 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

February 7, 2007. Fixed a 5-way up/down navigator glitch inpAsciiTool [DavidE].

February 7, 2007. Removed the ruler in pAsciiTool [TomB].

February 7, 2007. Fixed four focus navigation related glitches.

February 12, 2007. pLaunchTool collection's "Force ListNav Mode on|off" menu command is here [AndyM].

February 18, 2007. DBCache flushing for Palm Powered handhelds with NVFS is here; search for the word "DBCache" in the manual or see here for details [TomB, AndyM, JohnM].

February 22, 2007. Direct access to pScriptTool from pEditTool.

February 24, 2007. pDateTool, pDeskAccTool, pEditTool, pFindTool, pInfoTool, pLaunchTool, pMemoTool, pSearchTool, and pToDoTool have been improved, enriched, and optimized, including access to pScriptTool and pRotatorTool support via 5-way select.

March 1, 2007. Text search/replacement can be interrupted more reliably by tapping, or by typing ".", or by a page up/down or 5-way up/down press.

April 15, 2007. Released version 8.10 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

May 15, 2007. pScriptEngine3 is here; it houses pScriptTool's "recent" and "favorite" list manager tools [JohnM]. This nags without pToolSetPro.

May 20, 2007. pInfoTool's customizable RAM/ROM/ETC memory statistics display is here [TomB].

May 30, 2007. Fixed a pLaunchTool text field glitch [AndyM, JohnM].

May 30, 2007. Released version 8.11 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

June 2, 2007. Improved user interface in all "delete" and "delete all" dialogs for recent/favorite items [BillS, JohnM].

July 13, 2007. The "Set ListNav Mode..." and the "Force ListNav Mode on|off" menu commands are here in pFindTool, pScriptTool, and pSearchTool [AndyM].

July 29, 2007. Released version 8.12 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

September 1, 2007. pEditTool, optionally, can show stats. This is great for text messaging [SMS] that usually allows no more than 160 characters; see the "Stats on|off" menu command in the "Opt" menu.

September 23, 2007. Fixed an "ESC i" related bug in pSearchTool [JohnM].

September 23, 2007. pScript friendly checkboxes in pSearchTool; use "ESC I", "ESC M", "ESC S", "ESC U", and "ESC W to force them to be checked [JohnM].

October 12, 2007. Fixed a pTextTool bug: typing the letter 'x' pasted text instead of cutting it [JoseM, JohnM].

November 3, 2007. Fixed a "backward|forward by 0 unit" bug in the calendar command [SteveK, JohnM].

December 4, 2007. Released version 8.13 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

January 11, 2008. In the "Date Selector", the leftButtonSlided "Jan" button goes to previous "Dec" and the rightButtonSlided "Dec" button goes to next "Jan" [SteveK].

May 6, 2008. pEditTool's leftButtonSlided "C", leftButtonSlided "P", and rightButtonSlided "P" paste datestamps/timestamps.

May 11, 2008. In SMS (Messaging's Chat & Compose windows) the rightButtonSlided "Add..." button brings up pEditTool.

August 10, 2008. In the search'n'replace dialog, typing "x" or "X" have the same effect as if first the "All R" button, and then the "Done" button were pressed; this is a a pScript friendly command since "All R" generally speaking kills pScripts by wiping out the event queue. [JohnM]

February 26, 2009. Released version 8.14 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

May 27, 2010. Released version 8.15 of all pedits, LapTopHack, and pToolSet.

NOTE. Since pedit, LapTopHack, and pToolSet share components, if you use more than one of them, then they all must be of the same version, preferably the latest one.

NOTE. As of February 1, 2007, pedit, LapTopHack, and pToolSet no longer provide support in their newly introduced features for obsolete Palm Powered handhelds such as HandEra, Tungsten T3, and so forth. Those features which already have built-in support for such devices will continue to have them, at least for the time being.

If your Palm OS is 4.x or older, then please read 00README_preOS5.txt and 00README_pToolButtonsPro.txt which are included in the pToolSet distribution.

If you run Palm OS 5.0+, then please read 00README_OS5.txt and 00README_pToolButtonsPro.txt which are included in the pToolSet distribution.

NOTE. Please do a pin-reset of your Palm after reinstalling pToolSet 7.03+ the first time.

NOTE. Upgrading to pToolSet 8.00+ requires a US$5.00 upgrade fee which you can pay via PayPal (preferred), or eSellerate, or by a check mailed to me. Contact me if you can't afford the upgrade fee.

NOTE. If you registered pToolSet on or after July 1, 2005, then you are exempt from the upgrade fee.