Newton Connection Utilities 1.0 for Windows ReadMe

This document contains the latest information on Newton Connection Utilities version 1.0. Be sure to read this information to use the Newton Connection Utilities (NCU) software effectively.

This Readme contains information about:
1. Getting started
2. Using the import, export, and synchronize features
--General information
--Names (or Name File)
--Dates (or Date Book)
--To Do Tasks
--Notes (or Notepad)
--Schedule+
--Lotus Organizer
--Sidekick
--Troubleshooting
3. Using NCU with Newton Works
4. Making a connection
5. Backing up and restoring
6. Using your desktop computer's keyboard
7. Using the Auto Dock feature
8. Improving Performance
9. Using supported file formats


1. Getting Started

IMPORTANT: Before using NCU version 1.0, backup your Newton device and desktop application data files. Store the backup in a safe place. If you have used a previous version of NCU, please delete the contents inside the ILINK\\Ildata folder of your NCU directory.

If you haven't done so already, install the latest Newton System Updates on your Newton device. You can find the latest Newton System Updates and release notes on the Newton web page located at: (subject to change without prior notice)

http://www.newton.apple.com/newton/solutions/solutions.html

When installing NCU using the Windows NT or Windows 95 OS, you will only use 3 of the 5 installation disks.

NOTE: If you use the Newton Backup Utility (NBU) to backup information or install system updates, be sure to quit NBU before using NCU. You cannot run the two programs simultaneously. Also, NCU does not support IrDA as a connection type.

The Newton Connection Utilities application must remain in the NCU application folder in order to run properly. If you want to launch NCU from the desktop, create a shortcut.

You may experience difficulties if you Stop a connection while transferring data.

To run NCU with Windows 3.1, you must turn on your computer's file-sharing and virtual memory functions, if they are not already on. Refer to your Windows and DOS manuals for instructions on how to turn on file-sharing and virtual memory functions. Apple recommends that you create a permanent swap file (instead of a temporary one) for your computer system if you are running Windows 3.1 with Win32s.

Please refer to the manual for information about NCU's features. If your copy of the manual is a PDF file, you need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat Viewer. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader or Viewer, they are available on-line at the following location: (subject to change without prior notice) On the World Wide Web http://www.adobe.com/


2. Using the import, export, and synchronize features

General information

• In order to import or export a file, you must first choose or type a name (in the File Name field) in the Choose Translator dialog.
• When defining a desktop PIM file as the file to synchronize with using NCU, be careful about replacing that PIM file with one that has the same name but different data (such as an empty file). Differences in data between the two files will be interpreted as deliberate changes, which will then be updated on your Newton device.
• When synchronizing repeating meetings with the desktop and then changing information for the repeating meetings on the desktop, the meeting information may be broken into a series of individual meetings.
• When importing delimited ASCII files and the "Column Headings Exist" check box within the Advanced Settings is selected (there is an X in the check box), the first record in the file is interpreted as a column heading. If your file doesn't contain column headings, the first record won't be imported.
• You may notice small changes in your data after importing, exporting, or round-tripping (import, export, and then import again).
• If you don't have Microsoft Word installed, you will not be able to import a Microsoft Word document.
• In order to import a Microsoft Word document into Windows 3.1, you will first need to install Microsoft's OLE software.

Names (or Name File)

• When exporting name cards, phone numbers with the label "Phone" will not be exported unless you change the default field map. NCU exports phone numbers with the labels, Home, Work, Fax, and Cellular.
• If any name cards have duplicate phone labels (for example, two numbers both use the Work label), only the first number with that label is exported.
• Name card stationary other than those shipped with Newton OS are not supported.

Dates (or Date Book)

• When importing Date Book items using delimited ASCII format, all meeting lengths must be in minutes format (for example, 160 minutes). If items are in the hourly and minutes format (HH:MM) such as 01:30, they are assigned a default meeting length of 15 minutes.
• When importing Date Book items using delimited ASCII format, all meeting times must be in 24hr format. Meeting times using the 12hr format (AM and PM) will always import as AM.

To Do Tasks

• Repeating To Do tasks are not supported by NCU.

Notes (or Notepad)

• NCU doesn't reliably support importing graphics greater then 640x480 pixels into the Notepad.
• The connection between your Newton device and NCU may drop if you are importing a very large RTF or Word file into Notepad. If this happens, split your original documents into smaller ones and import them.
• Microsoft Word will not export graphics created using its OLE object to RTF (Rich Text Format). If you import an RTF file containing an OLE object, you'll export text only. To export graphics from Microsoft Word using RTF, make sure the graphics are pasted or inserted into the Word document.
• You may experience problems when importing a WMF file 17k or larger, in an RTF document.
• Ink text is replaced by a "[]" - If you have some ink text in close proximity with digital ink (sketches or shapes) in Notepad, and you export them to a RTF format, you will notice that the ink text is represented by "[]" in your exported RTF document.
• When importing an RTF document into Notepad that uses Courier or Century Schoolbook fonts with Tabs, the first word after each Tab will be missing.
• Exporting outline or checklist stationary to RTF format will result in additional carriage returns being inserted between your bullet items.
• Notepad stationary other then those shipped with Newton OS are not supported.

Schedule+

• If you have a repeating event on the Newton device and it is not a consecutive daily repeating event (i.e. the event occurs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday), this event becomes an 8am appointment when it is exported into a Microsoft Schedule+ file.
• Alarms added to To Do items in Schedule+ after the first synchronization, will not appear on the Newton after the next synchronization.
• If you are using Schedule+ version 7.0. You will not be able to use "Named/Local" files. This is only supported in Schedule+ version 7.0a.

Lotus Organizer

• If you have a note on your Newton device with graphics/drawings in it and you synchronize to Lotus Organizer, you will notice that the graphic/drawing turns into a '*' in your note after a couple of synchronize operations.
• When doing an import, export, or a synchronization with a name file entry where the first and last name begins with a lower case "a", the file is not transferred.
• Business extensions are not supported. When synchronizing a name with a business phone number that has an extension in the Ext field, that extension will be lost. In order to save a business extension you must enter it as 555-1212x1234.

Sidekick

• When using Sidekick for Windows 2.0 with NCU, some of your appointment data may not be imported to the Newton device if you initiated the IMPORT process from your Newton device; initiating the IMPORT process from NCU will solve this problem.
• If you have a multi-day event in Sidekick for Windows 2.0 and you import it into the Newton device, you will notice that the name of the event is followed by "{2}". i.e. The event "Mike's event" becomes "Mike's event {2}" on the Newton device.
• If you have a To Do task on the Newton device with a priority of "None" and you synchronize it to an empty file in Sidekick for Windows 2.0, this To Do task will be set to a priority of C6 in the priority field.

Troubleshooting

• Can't connect - If you have a mouse connected to serial port COM1 and you choose serial port COM3 for your Newton device connection, and your mouse stops working; it is likely that your COM1 and COM3 ports are using the same IRQ interrupt, just as your COM2 and COM4 ports may use the same IRQ. NCU requires that you use a COM port that doesn't have an IRQ conflict with a device connected to another port. Quit Windows to get your mouse running again, then choose a different COM port for your Newton device connection.
• Can't connect - If you experience connection problems between your Newton device and your PC, it may be because your PC cannot support the communications speeds required by NCU. Several packages are supplied with NCU that allow the Newton device to communicate with your computer at speeds slower than the default 38.4 KB. These packages are named 2400.PKG, 4800.PKG, and 9600.PKG in the NCU directory. It's recommended that you install and try out the package that represents the fastest baud rate (9600 KB) first. Install the other packages if communications problems persist.
• Can't connect - If the "star" is active at the top of your Newton screen, that is an indication that the Newton is busy. You need to wait, or stop the event in order to connect.
• File not recognized as a .pkg (Package) - If you can't expand an HQX archive successfully, the package was probably archived in Mac format. When using StuffIt Expander to expand a Mac HQX archive, make sure that the StuffIt Expander cross platform flag preferences are set to convert Mac files to a DOS format.
• Not enough memory - NCU works best when an adequate amount of memory is available when you perform IMPORT, EXPORT or SYNCHRONIZATION operations between the Newton device and your desktop applications. If you are running Windows 3.1x, this can be achieved by setting your virtual memory partition to a larger value. If you are running Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.5x, it is best to let the operating system manage the virtual memory setting instead of changing the setting yourself.
• Newton setup instructions appeared - If you transfer information from a Newton device using the Newton 1.x operating system to a Newton device using the Newton 2.0 operating system, the Newton setup instructions may appear. If you've already entered setup information on your Newton device, you don't need to repeat the information. The information appears when you open the Extras Drawer and start the setup application.
• Problem with large storage card - NCU supports storage cards of 4MB or less.
• There is an "X" on top of the Package Icon - When you restore packages to your Newton device, you may see an "X" on top of the package icon. This means the package hasn't been activated or that the package is installed in the internal store and on a card. To activate the package, restart your Newton device or open the package by tapping its icon.
• Extra carriage returns - If you use "Bullets and Numbering" in your Microsoft Word documents or RTF files, you will notice that there are two extra carriage returns after the first "bullet" character when the file is imported to the Newton device; you can just delete these two extra carriage returns to get your desired layout.
• Asking for a password - If you remove your password from NCU, and have the Save Password option set on your Newton device, your Newton device will ask you for the empty password. Just tap the X to continue.
• Drag and Drop - Shortcuts to packages are not supported when you try to drag and drop it into the NCU window to install the package. Please click on the Install Package button and use the File selection dialog to locate the package.
• Patterns - Some patterns in your WMF files are all currently imported as a solid color.
• Can't translate or Backup - If NCU cannot translate or backup a record, copy and paste the problem data into a new record and/or delete the old record and then try again.
• In cases where NCU is having problems reading data, there may be more than one record that's causing problems or you may have data created with the Newton 1.x operating system. Try backing up all of the information and applications on your Newton device to a storage card, and do a hard reset to delete all of the information in the internal memory of the Newton device. Then do a restore from the card.
• If you have problems importing a delimited ASCII text file, ensure you specified the correct delimiters. Each field is contained within a set of quotes (for example, "field one", "field two", "field three"). The last record is terminated with an end of record character (usually, a carriage return).
• Error details - NCU may generate two files when a problem occurs. These text files contain information that may show where an error may have occurred during an information transfer. These two files are called: XLATE.LOG and ILERRORS.LOG. The ILERRORS.LOG is located in the Windows Folder. The XLATE.LOG file is located in the ILINK Folder within the NCU Folder.

3. Using NCU with Newton Works

• Importing of documents over 60K into Newton Works Drawing documents is not supported.
• NCU only supports import and export of the 'Paper' and 'Drawing' stationary. At this time the 'Drawing' stationary is not supported on the Message Pad 2000 so although you can import WMFs to the MP2000, it won't be able to display them. Graphics that are part of an RTF can be imported and displayed to the 'Paper' stationary portion of an MP2000.
• RTF files containing graphics totaling greater then 32k will import to the Paper stationary, but only the first 32k of graphics will import. Graphics imported via the WMF filter to the Drawing stationary are not subject to this limitation.
• When you import Newton Works Drawings to the desktop, gradients are not imported.
• When using line spacing in an RTF document, this line spacing is not preserved when you import it into a Newton Works Paper.
• When importing WMFs containing bit-mapped images to your Newton device, they may not rotate or flip properly.
• When importing bitmaps that are vertically greater then 320 pixels, the portion greater then 320 pixels will be truncated.
• Dotted lines in a WMF file will import into Newton Works Drawing documents as a solid line.
• When using colors in your WMF file, and you import it into Newton Works Drawing documents and then export it back to a WMF file, your color information is lost because the Newton device does not support color.
• Rotation of text in WMF files imported into Newton Works Drawing documents is not supported.
• When trying to export a .txt file to a full floppy disk, the file may appear to have copied successfully when it did not (you may not receive an error message).
• After importing line objects of different width into Newton Works, all the lines will be the same width.

4. Making a connection

• Can't Connect - If you have a mouse connected to serial port COM1 and you choose serial port COM3 for your Newton device connection, and your mouse stops working; it is likely that your COM1 and COM3 ports are using the same IRQ interrupt, just as your COM2 and COM4 ports may use the same IRQ. NCU requires that you use a COM port that doesn't have an IRQ conflict with a device connected to another port. Quit Windows to get your mouse running again, then choose a different COM port for your Newton device connection.
• If you experience problems using NCU from your Newton device, initiate actions from you desktop computer.
• NCU works best when there is enough available memory on your Newton device. If an error message appears saying your Newton device is out of memory, quit any applications you are no longer using, delete applications you don't need, or store information on a storage card then delete it from the internal memory of your Newton device.
• NCU does not support IrDA as a connection type.

5. Backing up and restoring

• NCU cannot backup both cards in a Message Pad 2000 if the cards have an identical name. Please make sure your cards are named differently.
• When you first backup information on your Newton device, NCU creates a new backup file. When you make subsequent backups, NCU creates a copy of your backup file and adds new information to it. Occasionally, (for example, when the backup file gets very large) it is a good idea to move the existing backup file to a different directory and make a new backup of all the information and packages on your Newton device.
• If you have EnRoute packages (EnRoute Core, EnRoute Internet, EnRoute Rule Editor) installed on your Newton device and are trying to restore these packages from a backup file, you should remove these packages from the Newton device first before performing the backup; otherwise your Newton device will reset in the middle of the restore operation.
• NCU cannot backup Newton Works documents containing graphics greater than 32k.
• NCU will fail to backup your Newton Device entirely if a Newton Works document with graphics greater than 32k is stored in your InOut Box. To complete your backup, you must remove this Newton Works document from your InOut Box.
• If you restore information to your Newton device and it has very little memory, or storage space, the restore may not be complete. Delete outdated or unnecessary information to increase the available storage space and try restoring again.

6. Using your desktop computer's keyboard

• When using a Newton device that is running Newton OS 2.0, you will notice that numbers entered from the numeric keypad of your desktop computer's keyboard are not passed to the Calculator on the Newton device. This is not a problem on a Newton device running the Newton 2.1 OS.
• Using the desktop computer's keyboard with Notepad may be slow after large amounts of text are entered (greater than 4 Kilobytes).

7. Using the Auto Dock feature

• If your password is not saved, Auto Dock will not back up or synchronize. If you use a password for connection, and the box Save Password on your Newton is not checked, AutoDock will not backup or synchronize. Make sure you indicate the password is saved in the Dock preferences or don't use a password.

8. Improving Performance

• Importing, exporting and synchronizing may be faster once you have done a backup of your Newton device.

9. Using supported file formats

You can use NCU version 1.0 to transfer and synchronize information with applications that read these file formats:

• Sidekick for Windows 2.0
• Lotus Organizer 2.1
• Microsoft Word 6.0 or 7.0
• Microsoft Schedule+ 7.0/7.0a
• Rich Text Format (RTF) Files
• Text files
• Delimited Text files