As with any integration of two different software systems, there are important considerations that a user must keep in mind in order to most effectively utilize that integration.
The Helper Series-Palm Pilot HotSync is no different. The following is a simple guideline for users to help guarantee that the Helper Series-Palm Pilot conduits are both effective and reliable.
Configuring your HotSync manager to use the Helper Series conduits will remove any previously configured datebook or addressbook conduits. For instance, if your datebook was previously
being sync'ed to the Palm Desktop application, installing the Helper Series DateBook conduit will override those settings and the datebook will then be synchronized to the Helper Series rather than the Palm Desktop application.
DateBook HotSyncs: The Helper Series DateBook conduit will synchronize the Helper Series planner with the Palm Pilot DateBook application. However, only planner items (commitments) owned specifically by the user doing the
HotSync can be edited and subsequently sunk to the Helper Series. For instance, user "John" creates two items in the Helper Series planner, a personal commitment for next week, and workgroup commitment for his workgroup "Planning Commitee"
for a meeting next month. Both items will appear on his Palm Pilot after he does a HotSync. However, while if he modifies the personal commitment the changes will be integrated with the Helper Series Planner in a subsequent HotSync, any
changes he makes to the workgroup commitment will not be modified in the Helper Series by a HotSync.
Other important notes for the Helper Series DateBook conduit:
1. Archived HS commitments will not be transferred to the Palm Pilot. Archiving an
HS commitment will effectively delete it from the Palm Pilot. Conversely,
deleting a Palm Pilot item will archive the associated HS commitment.
2. To protect against accidental data loss, the DateBook conduit will not delete
any items from the Helper Series. To physically delete an item that exists
on both platforms, the user is required to delete both items by hand.
3. The description text for a Palm Pilot planner item corresponds with the
commitment text in the Helper Series. IMPORTANT: The Palm Pilot limits
description text to 255 characters. As such, it is important to limit
the text of a Helper Series commitement accordingly. Any commitments longer
than 255 characters will become truncated by a HotSync to the Palm Pilot.
4. Items related to a Helper Series commitment, such as Contact name,
will appear at the beginning of the Palm Pilot Notes text following a
Hotsync.
5. Recurring items with a pattern frequency of anything other than 1 in the Palm
Pilot will NOT be transferred to the Helper Series
6. Weekly recurring items that recur on more than on day will NOT be transferred to
the Helper Series.
7. Recurring items with exceptions (singular deleted events within a recurrence
pattern) will transfer to the Helper Series, but the deleted events will
appear normally on the desktop.
8. For multi-user environments, the first HotSync will require the user to input a
Helper Series Logon and Password.
Address Book HotSyncs: The Helper Series Address Book conduit will synchronize
Helper Series Contacts with the Palm Pilot Address Book application. However, only contacts
owned specifically by the user doing the HotSync can be edited and subsequently re-sychronized to the Helper Series.
For instance, user "John" has access to 2 contacts in the Helper Series, one that is owned by that user and one owned by
another user. Both items will appear on his Palm Pilot after he does a HotSync. However, while if he modifies the information of the
contact he owns on the Palm Pilot the changes will be integrated with the Helper Series in a subsequent HotSync, any changes he makes
to the other, non-owned, contact will not be modified in the Helper Series by a HotSync.
Other important notes for the Helper Series Address conduit:
1. To avoid possible accidental data loss, the Address Book conduit will not delete
any contact, either from the Palm Pilot or the Helper Series. If a contact
exists on both platforms and is deleted on one or the other, subsequent
HotSyncs will "recreate" the contact on the platform it was removed from.
In order to completely delete corresponding contacts, the record must be
physically deleted by hand on both platforms.
2. A Helper Series contact's active address will be the address HotSync'd to
the Palm Pilot.
3. The Helper Series Address Book conduit has no support for categories at this time.
4. For multi-user environments, the first HotSync will require the user to input a
Helper Series Logon and Password.
Removing the Helper Series conduits
Should you no longer wish to use the Helper Series HotSync conduits with your Palm Pilot, simply execute the
unintall.exe that resides in your Helper Series Program Folder. This will reconfigure your desktop to the settings
that existed prior to installing the Helper Series conduits. If you uninstall the Helper Series from your desktop completely,
it is VITALLY IMPORTANT to reconfigure your Palm Pilot conduits using this step before you remove the Helper Series from you computer.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact North American Software Technical Support via email or by phone: (513) 793-HELP (4357).
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