Entourage 2004 Palm Conduit support for DateBk5 categories

Wonderful that Office 2004 is finally out on the shelves!

Big question I have is whether the latest Entourage conduit supports Hotsync
of categories with DateBk5 on the Palm. The same feature as offered by the
conduit from Now-up-to-Date.

Anyone tried it yet?
--

Whytoi
Sat May 15 21:59:04 CDT 2004

In article BCCBAD91.5D1A%whytoi@hotmail.com, Whytoi whytoi@hotmail.com wrote
on 15/5/04 11:20:

> Wonderful that Office 2004 is finally out on the shelves!
>
> Big question I have is whether the latest Entourage conduit supports Hotsync
> of categories with DateBk5 on the Palm. The same feature as offered by the
> conduit from Now-up-to-Date.
>
> Anyone tried it yet?

Well, gave up and decided to do the test myself. Found that the Hotsync
conduit for Entourage 2004 would correctly synchronize the category settings
for Task/To-do entries, but not for calendar entries.

I created entries both on the Palm (DateBk5) as well as within Entourage
prior to a hotsync. The result was that none of the transferred calendar
entries had the correct category setting, while all the task/to-dos had.

This is rather odd and I wondered what could be the reason. Why the
irregular support?
--

Paul
Sat May 15 22:56:23 CDT 2004

On 5/15/04 7:59 PM, in article BCCD1618.6300%whytoi@hotmail.com, "Whytoi"
<whytoi@hotmail.com> wrote:

> In article BCCBAD91.5D1A%whytoi@hotmail.com, Whytoi whytoi@hotmail.com wrote
> on 15/5/04 11:20:
>
>> Wonderful that Office 2004 is finally out on the shelves!
>>
>> Big question I have is whether the latest Entourage conduit supports Hotsync
>> of categories with DateBk5 on the Palm. The same feature as offered by the
>> conduit from Now-up-to-Date.
>>
>> Anyone tried it yet?
>
> Well, gave up and decided to do the test myself. Found that the Hotsync
> conduit for Entourage 2004 would correctly synchronize the category settings
> for Task/To-do entries, but not for calendar entries.
>
> I created entries both on the Palm (DateBk5) as well as within Entourage
> prior to a hotsync. The result was that none of the transferred calendar
> entries had the correct category setting, while all the task/to-dos had.
>
> This is rather odd and I wondered what could be the reason. Why the
> irregular support?


I've already replied to you on the Entourage mailing list. You don't really
need to ask in both places. For the benefit (?) of others, here's what I
said there:

You need to ask Palm. They're the ones who don't provide categories for
calendar events in Palm OS 4.x. They DO provide categories for todos, so
that's why category syncing works for tasks/todos (nothing to do with
DateBk5).


--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP Entourage
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/toc.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Entourage you are using - **2004**, X
or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions otherwise.

Whytoi
Sun May 16 01:08:33 CDT 2004

In article BCCC3477.646CD%berkowit@spoof_silcom.com, Paul Berkowitz
berkowit@spoof_silcom.com wrote on 16/5/04 13:56:

> I've already replied to you on the Entourage mailing list. You don't really
> need to ask in both places. For the benefit (?) of others, here's what I
> said there:
>
> You need to ask Palm. They're the ones who don't provide categories for
> calendar events in Palm OS 4.x. They DO provide categories for todos, so
> that's why category syncing works for tasks/todos (nothing to do with
> DateBk5).

Thanks. But it must have slipped through on the mailing list.

In terms of Palm support. The issue here is that Now-Up-to-Date has specific
support for categories, and one that is supported by a very popular Datebook
replacement, DateBk5. I was just hopeful that Entourage 2004 can think
outside of Palm's box and provide that support.

Oh well, wishful thinking there and will wait to see what the next version
update brings.
--

Paul
Sun May 16 01:34:37 CDT 2004

On 5/15/04 11:08 PM, in article BCCD4281.631B%whytoi@hotmail.com, "Whytoi"
<whytoi@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> In terms of Palm support. The issue here is that Now-Up-to-Date has specific
> support for categories, and one that is supported by a very popular Datebook
> replacement, DateBk5. I was just hopeful that Entourage 2004 can think
> outside of Palm's box and provide that support.
>
> Oh well, wishful thinking there and will wait to see what the next version
> update brings.

Palm suddenly came up with Palm OS 5 (used in T3 and Tungsten W models) very
late into the Office 2004 cycle - too late to accommodate. Palm OS 5
implements categories for events, second addresses for contacts and lots of
other improvements - after 9 years of nothing. I think you can expect that
in due course, in a later release, Microsoft will enable syncing to Palm OS
5 with these new features, including calendar event categories.

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP Entourage
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/toc.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Entourage you are using - **2004**, X
or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions otherwise.

Whytoi
Sun May 16 01:55:19 CDT 2004

In article BCCC598D.646EC%berkowit@spoof_silcom.com, Paul Berkowitz
berkowit@spoof_silcom.com wrote on 16/5/04 16:34:

> Palm suddenly came up with Palm OS 5 (used in T3 and Tungsten W models) very
> late into the Office 2004 cycle - too late to accommodate. Palm OS 5
> implements categories for events, second addresses for contacts and lots of
> other improvements - after 9 years of nothing. I think you can expect that
> in due course, in a later release, Microsoft will enable syncing to Palm OS
> 5 with these new features, including calendar event categories.

Great info. It's hopeful at least.

But I am a bit curious that one can blame Palm for bringing out OS 5. As far
as I know, Palm has a well executed program in involving their 3rd party
developers of their upcoming OSs. Palm OS 6 being the current example. I am
surprised that the Entourage development group weren't privy to those specs.
Does this has something to do with MSFT being Palm's major competitor?
That's the only scenario where I can understand the use of "sudden".
--

BB
Tue May 18 10:31:43 CDT 2004

I don't buy this argument. The support for categories is built into any palm
database, even in Palm OS 4. It's just a matter of using it in the
application. This issue was raised on this news group years ago, and it was
generally agreed that the conduit simply had to read the category
information and transfer it properly in both directions. If the category
information had no useful information in it, as is the case with the Palm OS
4 Datebook version, the conduit could just set the category to Unfiled
during the transfer to the Mac.

Just because the built in Datebook in Palm OS 4 does not support categories
is no reason for MS to not support it. I was looking forward to leaving Palm
Desktop for good when I receive Office 2004, but that is not likely to
happen now.

- Bo

On 04-05-16 08.34, in article BCCC598D.646EC%berkowit@spoof_silcom.com,
"Paul Berkowitz" <berkowit@spoof_silcom.com> wrote:

> On 5/15/04 11:08 PM, in article BCCD4281.631B%whytoi@hotmail.com, "Whytoi"
> <whytoi@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> In terms of Palm support. The issue here is that Now-Up-to-Date has specific
>> support for categories, and one that is supported by a very popular Datebook
>> replacement, DateBk5. I was just hopeful that Entourage 2004 can think
>> outside of Palm's box and provide that support.
>>
>> Oh well, wishful thinking there and will wait to see what the next version
>> update brings.
>
> Palm suddenly came up with Palm OS 5 (used in T3 and Tungsten W models) very
> late into the Office 2004 cycle - too late to accommodate. Palm OS 5
> implements categories for events, second addresses for contacts and lots of
> other improvements - after 9 years of nothing. I think you can expect that
> in due course, in a later release, Microsoft will enable syncing to Palm OS
> 5 with these new features, including calendar event categories.

BB
Tue May 18 10:38:20 CDT 2004

Searched for this issue and found an old thread from August 2002. /Bo

> Från:Bob Pankratz (bob.pankratz@plexus.com)
> Ämne:Re: Palm Sync for X shortcomings...
>
>  
>
> View this article only
> Nyhetsgrupper:microsoft.public.mac.office.entourage
> Datum:2002-08-28 18:56:44 PST
> I think the point that people are making is:
>
> 1) Datebk3/4/5 does categories in a standard form
> 2) A bunch of sync tools support it
> 3) Support should be easy because (bare with me here):
> a) all palm databases use a standard header table to define categories.
> b) The palm datebook creates the header table for the datebook database,
> but it's always null entries
> c) Datebk3/4/5 use that header table properly in a fashion identical to
> the other apps like Todo and Address
> d) Every databook record has a category id even if only used in the
> native app
> e) Datebk3/4/5 uses that record cateogry id in the standard way.
> f) The operational programming logic in a conduit to sync datebook
> categories is identical between address, todos, and datebook; so someone
> just has to cut and past the logic into the datebook sync loop.
>
> Prior to the 4.x desktop conduit kits this was all a LOT harder. It's
> probably a knowledge issue inside the MBU; busy and all as they are. Most
> people think the notes TAGs in Datebk3/4/5 are for store the categories;
> they are actually for storing advanced attributes; and the categories are
> encoded in the note so that data can be self repaired if there is an error.
>
> The misunderstanding was so pervasive that the first version of Pocket
> Mirror over on Windows / OutLook was written to sync to the Notes fields.
> The latest version corrected that.


On 04-05-18 17.31, in article BCCFF8FF.14B9D%bo.boivie._DELETE_@bigfoot.com,
"BB" <bo.boivie._DELETE_@bigfoot.com> wrote:

> I don't buy this argument. The support for categories is built into any palm
> database, even in Palm OS 4. It's just a matter of using it in the
> application. This issue was raised on this news group years ago, and it was
> generally agreed that the conduit simply had to read the category
> information and transfer it properly in both directions. If the category
> information had no useful information in it, as is the case with the Palm OS
> 4 Datebook version, the conduit could just set the category to Unfiled
> during the transfer to the Mac.
>
> Just because the built in Datebook in Palm OS 4 does not support categories
> is no reason for MS to not support it. I was looking forward to leaving Palm
> Desktop for good when I receive Office 2004, but that is not likely to
> happen now.
>
> - Bo
>
> On 04-05-16 08.34, in article BCCC598D.646EC%berkowit@spoof_silcom.com,
> "Paul Berkowitz" <berkowit@spoof_silcom.com> wrote:
>
>> On 5/15/04 11:08 PM, in article BCCD4281.631B%whytoi@hotmail.com, "Whytoi"
>> <whytoi@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> In terms of Palm support. The issue here is that Now-Up-to-Date has specific
>>> support for categories, and one that is supported by a very popular Datebook
>>> replacement, DateBk5. I was just hopeful that Entourage 2004 can think
>>> outside of Palm's box and provide that support.
>>>
>>> Oh well, wishful thinking there and will wait to see what the next version
>>> update brings.
>>
>> Palm suddenly came up with Palm OS 5 (used in T3 and Tungsten W models) very
>> late into the Office 2004 cycle - too late to accommodate. Palm OS 5
>> implements categories for events, second addresses for contacts and lots of
>> other improvements - after 9 years of nothing. I think you can expect that
>> in due course, in a later release, Microsoft will enable syncing to Palm OS
>> 5 with these new features, including calendar event categories.
>
>