When you install HanDBase Plus, HanDBase Professional or HanDBase Enterprise
to a desktop computer, the default installation location is C:\Program
Files\HanDBase4. While it's not recommended, if you specifically chose to install HanDBase to a different location, you will need to substitute that location as your install location when referring to the rest of the information in this article.
For all Windows users except those with Windows Vista, the most important location to find on your desktop PC is the location of
your Palm software install. This means the Palm Desktop and Palm HotSync
Manager installation on your desktop computer.
The default location for the Palm software has changed over the years, and
you could find it at any of the following:
C:\Palm
C:\Program Files\Palm
C:\Program Files\Sony
C:\Program Files\Handspring
C:\Program Files\PalmOne
C:\Program Files\Palm
When you find the location for you Palm software installation, you will find
folders with names like Update and Themes.
You will also find a folder here that is named after your handheld username.
The name of the folder for your handheld will normally be slightly different
than the actual username. The folder for your handheld will have no more than 7
characters, and if your handheld username has more than one word, you will see
the first initial for most words, with only the last word spelled out completely. For Windows Vista users you will find this handheld username folder in your Documents folder inside the Palm OS Desktop folder there.
Examples of this would include the following:
| Handheld username |
Storage folder name |
Sample XP location |
Sample Vista location |
| My palm |
palmM |
C:\Program Files\Palm\palmM |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\palmM |
| John Doe |
DoeJ |
C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\DoeJ |
| Tungsten T5 |
T5T |
C:\Program Files\Palm\T5T |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\T5T |
| constitution |
consti |
C:\Program Files\Palm\consti |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\consti |
When you find the storage folder for your handheld, then you will find all of the files that are backed up from your handheld device when you perform a
HotSync. Here you will find folders for your backed up files, your archived
files (the files that have been deleted from the handheld), your HotSync log
file, and any other files that are specific to your handheld username.
If you have the HanDBase Conduit installed -- which comes as a part of the
HanDBase Plus, HanDBase Professional, and HanDBase Enterprise packages -- then
the conduit will create a folder called HanDBase in the
storage folder for your handheld username. So,
if you find the storage folders for your handheld, you will normally see
the following (among other folders):
| Folder name |
Purpose |
Sample XP Location |
Sample Vista Location |
| Backup |
Stores a copy of all the files on the handheld that are not treated by a
special purpose conduit. You will normally find a copy of all of the
applications that you have installed to your handheld in this folder. If you
have custom forms for your files, this is where you will find the custom form
files. |
C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ\Backup |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\DoeJ\Backup |
| Archive |
Stores a copy of any files that have been deleted on the handheld. |
C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ\Archive |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\DoeJ\Archive |
| HanDBase |
When using the HanDBase Conduit, this is where each of your
HanDBase database files are backed up. |
C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ\HanDBase |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\DoeJ\HanDBase |
| HanDBase\StorageCard_ YYYYMMDD_######_ USERNAME |
When using the HanDBase Conduit, this is where each of your
HanDBase database files are synchronized to when they are stored on a memory card. The YYYYMMDD section will be the date that the folder was created. The ###### portion is a unique ID assigned too that StorageCard, which allows fo having multiple storage cards as that same number is stored in a file on the card itself. The USERNAME portion is your Palm Username. |
C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ\ HanDBase\StorageCard_20090917_165102_DoeJ |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\ DoeJ\HanDBase\StorageCard_20090917_165102_DoeJ |
| HanDBase\Backup |
When using the HanDBase Conduit, this is where each of the additional
backup copies of your HanDBase database files are stored. |
C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ\ HanDBase\Backup |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\ DoeJ\HanDBase\Backup |
| HanDBase\Archive |
When using the HanDBase Conduit, this is where each of your
HanDBase database files are moved if the database is deleted from the handheld. |
C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ\ HanDBase\Archive |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\ DoeJ\HanDBase\Archive |
| Address |
Stores information for your Palm Address application |
C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ\Address |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\DoeJ\Address |
| Datebook |
Stores information for your Palm Datebook application |
C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ\Datebook |
..\Documents\Palm OS Desktop\DoeJ\Datebook |
You will have other folders in the storage folder for your handheld, but
these represent a few that you will normally find when using the HanDBase
Conduit for synchronization.
HanDBase Desktop and the location of files
In HanDBase Desktop, when you use Open from the
File menu, the list of databases that are synchronized by the
HanDBase Conduit for a handheld will be
listed. The list of databases shows the databases that are in the standard
HanDBase folder maintained by the HanDBase Conduit. If you have a copy of a
database stored outside of this location, that copy will not show up
automatically when you look at this list of databases.
When you open a database from your list of databases, and then make a change
to the records of data, just use Save or Close from the File
menu to save the changes. Then synchronize with the HanDBase Conduit. This
will merge the changes you made with the copy on the handheld.
If you have a copy of a database that is not in the standard HanDBase folder
for the handheld, then you do have the option of using the
Browse Files button in HanDBase Desktop to open the database
from that other location.
Under normal circumstances, any time you open a database from a location other
than the standard HanDBase folder for a handheld device, you will be given the
option to install the database to a handheld when you use Save
or Close from the File menu.
If you install a database by selecting the handheld device to install to,
then this process will overwrite the copy that is on the device, already. This
is not the same as a merge/synchronization. If you are using the HanDBase
Conduit to synchronize your HanDBase databases, you will want to open the
databases from the list of databases that are shown when you use
Open from the File menu in HanDBase Desktop.
When you open a database that way, and save it, you should not be given the
option to install the database to a handheld. Then, the next time you sync with
the HanDBase Conduit, that copy you just saved will be merged with the copy on
the handheld.
Please Note: Any time you choose the option to install a database to
a handheld device, either through HanDBase Desktop or manually through the Palm
Quick Install tool, the act of installing the file will overwrite any existing
file of the same name that is already on the device.
HanDBase Form files
HanDBase form files created by HanDBase Forms Designer will always remain in
the normal storage folder called Backup (not the folder called
Backup that is inside the HanDBase folder, but the standard Palm folder called
Backup for that device.
Sync Exchange and the location of files
When you add a HanDBase database file to Sync Exchange, that file (with the .pdb file extension) will remain in the folder it was in when you added it to Sync Exchange. For example, if you like, you could move/copy your HanDBase database files from the
standard HanDBase folder to a folder called
(just as an example) c:\my databases.
Then you could add the .pdb files (the HanDBase database files) to Sync Exchange
directly from that location. If you did so, then when you sync with the HanDBase Conduit, the database files will remain in that other folder rather than moving to
the standard Handbase3 folder for your handheld device.
If you move a database to a different location, and then add it to Sync
Exchange from that other location, then that particular database will no longer
show up in the list of databases in HanDBase Desktop to select from when you use
Open from the File menu. In that case, you
would need to use the Browse Files button to browse to the
database to open it from that other location. This means that when you save the
database, you will be given the option to install the database to a device. You
will probably want to use the Do not install button in that
case to prevent the file from overwriting the copy that is already in the
handheld. When you sync with the HanDBase conduit, the copy in that location
will still merge with the copy on the handheld.
The location of the custom form files will not be affected by the location of
a database that has been added to Sync Exchange.
So, in short, when adding a database to Sync Exchange from a location other
than the standard HanDBase folder, you would normally do the following if
opening that database in HanDBase Desktop:
Use File, Open, then Browse
Files
Once finished with making changes, use Save or
Close from the File menu, and then use the button Do
not install.
Then sync with the HanDBase 4 Conduit
By default, the HanDBase Conduit makes additional backup copies of your
database every time something is changed in the database. The default number of
backup copies is 10, but you can control that number in the preferences of the
HanDBase Conduit.
The normal location for the additional backup copies of a database will be in
a folder actually called Backup in the folder where that
database is found.
Using the example of a handheld username of "John Doe" normally be found at
C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ\HanDBase\Backup. See above for
more help on finding the location of this folder.
The additional backup copies have the date and time of the backup in the name
of the file. If your database file's name is mydata.pdb then the backup copy for
that database would look something like mydata # desktop 1-1-2005
13-00-00.pdb. This means that the particular backup copy was made on
1/1/2005 at 1pm (13:00:00), and the change to the database was made on the
desktop.
If, for any reason, you need to revert back to a previous copy
of a file, you can find the last 10 previous copies of that database in the
additional backup location. You can then use any of those previous versions of
the database file to restore your data or overwrite the copy that is on the
handheld, etc.
An example of this is if you delete a record on the handheld that you did not
intend to delete. If you have already performed a synchronization so that the
record has also been deleted from the desktop copy, then you can restore the
file from the most recent additional backup copy:
In HanDBase Desktop, use File, Open, then Browse
Files
Browse to the location of the additional backup copies (again, using the
example above, that would be at C:\Program Files\Palm\DoeJ\HanDBase\Backup)
Open the copy of the database with the most recent date and time in its file
name.
If that copy has the record that you wish to retrieve, you could open that
record and use the Move record to... option on the
Actions menu
to move that record to the normal copy of the database.
Or, if you just wish to replace the handheld copy with this particular backup,
you can use Save from the File menu to save
that database. When you do, you should have the option of installing that file
to the handheld, since the file was opened from a location outside of the normal
Handbase folder for the device. If you install the file to the handheld, then
the next HotSync will overwrite the copy on the handheld with the copy you are
restoring from
If you added a database to Sync Exchange from a location other than the
normal backup location, then the Backup folder for that
particular database will be found there. Using the example of adding a database
to Sync Exchange from a folder at c:\my databases
The additional backup copies for that database would be at c:\my
databases\Backup
Any databases that were not added to Sync Exchange would still be in the
normal backup location for the HanDBase Conduit, and the additional backup
copies would be in that normal location.
If you have moved databases from the Main Memory of the device to a Storage Card those databases are now synchronized when you HotSync, if you have the HanDBase Conduit. To avoid any issues these databases are stored in a separate sub-folder of the standard HanDBase folder. This folder will be labeled StorageCard_YYYYMMDD_######_USERNAME, where YYYYMMDD is the date the folder was created, the ###### is a unique number assigned to that storage card and USERNAME is your Palm Username. For example:
StorageCard_20090813_192354_DoeJ
Any databases you have stored on your storage card in the device will be synchronized here and show up in the HanDBase Desktop like any other database would. This folder will also contain it's own Backup, Archive and Install folders, which function exactly the same as those folders in the standard HanDBase folder. The Unique number assigned to the folder is also stored on the Memory card in a file. This allows for swapping out with different memory cards if needed.
Using HanDBase Desktop without the use of the HanDBase Conduit
If you purchase a copy of HanDBase for Palm OS rather than
a package like HanDBase Plus for Palm OS, then you will have
a free copy of HanDBase Desktop, but you will not have the HanDBase Conduit
for synchronization.
In that case, you will not see any databases in the list of databases when
you use Open from the File menu in HanDBase
Desktop. You would need to use the Browse Files button to open
the database directly from the normal backup
folder for the handheld.
If you do not have the HanDBase Conduit installed, then you will also not
have the additional backup copies of the databases described above.
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