Using KPilot

KPilot User's Guide
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# Chapter 2. Using KPilot

Once KPilot is installed it needs to be configured to match your hardware. The conduits need to be configured as well. After that you can use KPilot to synchronise your PalmPilot™ with your KDE desktop or view data from your PalmPilot™ with the builtin applications.

# 2.1. Configuring KPilot

Once KPilot is installed it is rather easy to set up. Run KPilot from either the panel menu or from the command prompt and it will prompt you with a dialog box asking you to configure it for the first time. This configuration dialog can be requested later from the File->Settings menu or by starting KPilot from the shell as follows:

     $  kpilot --setup

In addition, if you upgrade KPilot and some new configuration options require your attention, this setup dialog will reappear.

A full description of the setup dialog can be found below.

Once KPilot is properly set up, pressing OK will bring up the main KPilot window. The first thing you should do is make a full backup of the PalmPilot™. Do this by selecting File->Backup or the toolbar icon Full Backup . When you do, the status bar will ask you to press the HotSync button on the cradle. Assuming everything is set up properly you should see the PalmPilot™ begin to sync and a message box telling you what databases are being backed up. This will back up your entire PalmPilot™ into your local directory. Note that this may take a little while, however a normal HotSync is significantly faster.

## 2.1.1. General page

This is a setup page that contains options describing the PalmPilot™ hardware, you, the user and how you want the various parts of KPilot to be started.

The General setup page

Pilot Device

  This is the serial port that the cradle is connected to. By default it is set to `/dev/pilot` which should be a symbolic link to the proper serial port. Make sure the serial port has the correct permissions. It must be read/write by all if KPilot is intended to be used by a normal user! This is done by doing a `chmod 666 `device`` where `device` is the correct serial port. See also the FAQ for more information about setting up the PalmPilot™ device.

Speed

  This indicates the speed of the serial connection to the PalmPilot™. For an older model PalmPilot™, choose 9600. Newer models may be able to handle speeds up to the maximum listed, 115200. You can experiment with the connection speed: the PalmPilot™ manual suggests starting at a speed of 19200 and trying faster speeds to see if they work.

Pilot User

  This is the user name of the PalmPilot™. By default this name is the same as your log on name. When you first sync with the PalmPilot™ KPilot will check to see if this name matches the one on the PalmPilot™. If they do not, you are asked to pick which you will use. If you pick the local name, the PalmPilot™ will be changed to match. This is also used to store the information synced from the PalmPilot™. For example, if I were to HotSync my PalmPilot™ on your machine, it would store the data into a subdirectory named `pilone`.

Start HotSync Daemon at login

  By enabling this a link to the daemon is placed in your autostart folder and will be started automatically. Note that this is not normally needed if the daemon is docked in the panel.

Start KPilot at HotSync

  When the HotSync button is pressed on the cradle (assuming the daemon is running) KPilot can sync without actually starting up the GUI. However, by enabling this option the daemon will start up the KPilot GUI when the HotSync begins.

Show Daemon in KPanel

  This option lets the daemon place a little HotSync icon in the KPanel. This icon has a menu that can be brought up with the right mouse button, for performing a HotSync and the like. Without this option, the daemon is not visible to the user at all.

Stop Daemon on exit

  Setting this option will cause the daemon to exit when you quit KPilot, leaving the serial port free for other PalmPilot™-syncing tools such as malsync

For a fully visible KPilot installation, enable Start KPilot at HotSync and Show Daemon in KPanel while disabling Stop Daemon on exit. To make KPilot all but invisible, disable all the options except Stop Daemon on exit.

## 2.1.2. Address page

The address page contains settings specific to the built in address book. Note that this address book has nothing directly to do with the KDE address book, your email address book, or anything else. Connections with those address books could be provided by conduits. (Right now there is no conduit for the address book, though.)

The Address setup page

Import Format, Export Format

  KPilot can import and export the address database to or from a text file. These two fields determine the format the file is written in (for export) or must have (for import).

Address display

  This set of radio buttons determines how addresses are displayed and sorted in the address book. This is similar to the setting in the PalmPilot™ itself where addresses can be sorted based on company or on last name.

Both the import and the export format are lists of field specifiers separated by some delimiter (usually a comma). Note that all fields must be separated by the same delimiter. For import formats: Field specifiers are three-character strings that begin with a %. Field specifiers %`CC` are used to indicate that in the imported data the data for the corresponding field is to be found there (as a string that does not contain the delimiter character). The following field specifiers are supported:

Table 2-1. Address Format Specifiers

Specifier | Field
--- | ---
%LN | Last name
%FN | First name
%CO | Company
%P1,%P2,%P3,%P4,%P5 | Phone numbers 1 through 5
%AD | Address
%CI | City
%ST | State
%ZI | Zip (Postal code)
%CT | Country
%TI | Title
%C1,%C2,%C3,%C4 | Custom fields

## 2.1.3. DB Specials page

This page contains settings specific to the PalmPilot™ databases KPilot works with.

The DB Setup page

Show secrets

  In your PalmPilot™ you can mark some records as "private". By default, KPilot does not display these records on the screen. If you want to see them, turn this option on.

Backup only

  This text field can be used to list databases that should not be synced, only backed up. Note that you have to fill in the database creator, not the name of the product, so for Handbase databases you fill in `PmDB`. Multiple databases should be separated by commas. See the FAQ for a list of databases that should be listed here (the default should be OK though).

Skip

  This text field lists databases that should not be backed up nor synced, in the same format as the backup only field.

## 2.1.4. Sync page

The sync page contains preferences relevant to the HotSync operation on your PalmPilot™.

The Sync page

Sync Files

  When this is enabled any files dropped into the file install (either the icon docked on the panel or into the file installer in KPilot) will be installed on the PalmPilot™ during the next HotSync.

Local overrides Pilot

  When a record has been modified on both the PalmPilot™ and the local side, only one can be kept. By default KPilot assumes the PalmPilot™ has the most recent information and will keep that. By enabling this option KPilot assumes it has the most recent information and will overwrite the PalmPilot™'s copy.

Force first-time sync every time

  Under some circumstances -- you have many PCs and many PalmPilot™s -- you may want to perform a "cleaner" HotSync every time instead of the "quick-and-dirty" HotSync that KPilot does if you just have one PalmPilot™ and one PC. Just when you want to enable this option is a matter of personal preference.

Do full backup when changing PCs

  If you have more than one PC and synchronise your PalmPilot™ with each of them you may want to disable this option. When you change PCs it is a good idea to perform a full backup, since otherwise your KDE desktop will not reflect the state of your PalmPilot™ accurately. (This is a limitation of the PalmPilot™ itself.) On the other hand, performing a full backup can be time-consuming and annoying, which is why you can disable such a backup here.

Prefer FastSync to HotSync

  While a HotSync is faster than a full backup, a FastSync is faster still than a HotSync and synchronises only those databases that have conduits. This means that any database without a conduit is not backed up and not synchronised. This also means that if something goes wrong with your PalmPilot™, you may not be able to recover databases with no conduit. This is a classic trade-off between speed and safety.

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