dbScan Results and Recommended Action

S

Sarah C.

New member
Last night I tried Datebk5 5.1bS7, as an alternative to "Horrendous Agendus." It recommended, and I downloaded, "dbScan."

Although dbScan at first found 2 corrupt records which were deleted, I continued to run it to look for additional errors - and it gave me a message that "Some repeating events do not have Null" or something like that, and then said "not uncommon in 3rd party conduits."

I'm wondering if this is a result of the 6-7 different datebook/calendar/to do apps I've tried leaving "trails" in the note section (like Agendus leaves "ICON:12345/258" to connect the icon to the event, for example).

I'm also wondering whether or not to DELETE the database and start over with Datebk5, eradicating all traces of AGendus in the memo notes; does anyone else get this message and if so is it part of the "AGendus/Datebk5 war?" Should I ignore it? After that message, it said "no problems found" and later "datebook appears ok." Rather than uninstall AGendus, all the prefs, and delete the entire calendardb and tasks db and RE-ENTER information (which wouldn't be that much of a nightmare, actually) I'd rather just leave things alone if it's not "critical."

I am emailing Pimlico momentarily with both my "Horrendous Agendus" thoughts and this question. As always, thanks in advance for your VERY VALUED input.
 
Paul,

The only records you have to worry about with the T3 and DBScan are deleted records that are still in the calendar database. This is the cause of many of the crashes that T3 users see with the calendar sync using the new Palm conduits. The repeating records not having a null is also a result of the new Palm conduits. All repeats should have a null record at the end of the repeat string, even if it's in 2100, the end of the current Palm calendar. Not having a null entry isn't fatal though, or at least won't be until we get a lot closer to 2100.:)

If you were to switch to DateBk5, you'd still have all the Agendus note tags since they are in the Palm Desktop or Outlook. They don't cause any harm when using DateBk5 but just take up space. Since they exist on your PC, deleting the calendar database wouldn't do any good as the notes would be restored when you synced. You could delete the Agendus tags easily in Outlook by exporting to Excel, deleting the tags there, and then importing the updated records. I don't know of any way to do this easily in the Palm Desktop. It doesn't really matter in terms of the two different programs though. Either one will coexist with the note tags of the other.
 
Well, I could wipe out the .dat files for the to do (tasks) and calendar in my user folder; another solution from Pimlico is to set the Desktop to "handheld overwrites" and forcing it to therefore "upgrade" to your new information.

I'm leaning toward Datebk5, and if I do it I will more than likely WIPE OUT my dbases for tasks/calendar, import the icons through Icon Manager 11 at a time instead of "en masse," and then for safekeeping Norton Wipe the dat file in user folder and set to handheld overwrites (overwriting the DTop with a blank database!). That should finish the little bastards off.

There's also malathion spray directly into the computer . . . . ! !

As a photographer buddy of mine said once,

"It's a good idea on a sunny day to open the back of the camera every now and again, to make sure the film's going through correctly!! Also, only wash your motor drive out with FRESH water."
 
Paul,

Sorry, but you've lost me on this. If you wipe out the files on your desktop and sync, the notes from the handheld will still repopulate the desktop. If you wipe out the files on your handheld, same thing happens when sync back to the desktop. There's no separate DAT file that only contains notes. The DAT files contain all the Calendar and To-Do data and wiping them out would erase all the data, not just the notes. Unless there's something I'm not understanding, this doesn't seem workable.
 
1. Moved Agendus from Flash to RAM and deleted it.
2. Checked saved prefs - none left. Deleted a68 file.
3. Deleted Tasks/pauldb and Calendar/pauldb.
4. Set Palm Desktop to HH overwrites as DEFAULT (for now).
5. Hotsynced, got message saying "don't recognize conduit" (as I suspected).
6. Went in to user folder, todo and calendar, and WIPED the 3 dat files in each.
7. Hotsynced again with it set to "syncronize files." All okay, but all data gone (good).
8. Ran dbScan and got message "not enough memory to test;" entered a made up to-do so 1 record was in there. Got message "database ok" and NO MESSAGE about "null handle.

That means I'm clear of the nonsense and clear of "Iambic trails" shuffling back and forth on the conduit, as you mentioned.

Now I'll install Datebk5, set it up, install the DATEBK5 icon set and customize them with MINE, re-enter the birthdays, bill recurring due dates, etc - and all should be good. Most important to me was getting rid of the null handle thing - and it was SOMETHING in a handheld record - not the Desktop conduit being "screwy."

This process took around 1 minute 30 seconds - installing and setting up will be about an hour. Not much to ask for no more Agendus/Horrendous mishaps, and a clean to do/calendar database. COOL!! Best of all . . . Datebk5 is welcomed in flash, as per Pimlico's site!! Wahoo!!

Addendum: Posted this at 2:06; at 4:30 (it took 2 hours, not 1!) Agendus reinstalled along with re-entering calendar/to do information, and dbScan says "all is good." The corrupted record was caused by installing and trying one of the many apps I've auditioned recently including KsDatebook, A5, CuteDatebook, Contacts5 but possibly others. One of those must have posted something weird but I'm not sure which. I must give due credit to Agendus in that it WAS NOT Agendus that "glitched things;" it had to be one of the others or simply a glitch on reinstall of the datebook database after a hard reset (I've had 2 in the last 2 months). Bottom line: all is well but I'll stick with Agendus after giving Datebk5 a THOROUGH going-over. I just like the formatting and data entry better, and the colored MakeSpot days in the month view combined with hilited text and "better views."
 
Paul,

Not to cause you any more grief but you might try Dateman. I played with it some back in January when it first came out. The link is at palmgear if it doesn't work correctly.
 
Well, I liked the fact that it just "took over" the Agendus icons and allowed me to use them without hassle. It looks a lot like Agendus 5.35, with the solid blue day headers.

Quite configurable. I'd rate Dateman and A5 as the two best other than Agendus.

I did NOT like the installer; it did not put the handheld app in hotsync - did a search and found it in the "install" folder but there was nothing hotsynced. Moved that out of there and manually installed it to try the app. Uninstalling was tricky - it leaves 2 files behind (one of them a 93k link library) and did not delete the saved pref. That's gone thanks to SysTool!!

I'll stick with Agendus "Moosedesto;" however -- you put 'em up on a tree stump and I'll take a whack at it - no sense not trying everything.

I'd heard the name before but never tried the app - thanks buddy. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. By the way - Dateman also leaves a little "trail" behind it in the notes section of to-do's and they were COMPLETELY deleted and "re-inputted" and then checked with dbScan. All clear. Now for the uninstall from the DESKTOP - that should be fun, since under "Start/Programs" all StandAlone list is the manual. I'll find the little "trace elements" and that will be that -- off the PC.
 
I like the "banner" of repeating calendar events and that's why I tried it way back. That link library is for conjunction work with SuperNames that is suppose to act like the contact manager but I found that you must link each item which is an automatic in Agendus.

Agendus still wins out in my mind, for now, just because of familiarity and contact management. They are starting to get on my nerves though since he we are 60 days into a "released" product and it won't properly set todo alarms.


At least you are now aware of the program, which was my only goal.
 
I really appreciate it - info is power.

I'm seriously concerned, despite my rantings, that people that HAVE worked very hard over at Iambic will be out of a job and we will lose a major developing force for Palm OS.

It's not sounding good, when FastWriter, AllMoney and TinySheet are outright NIXED, and now with all the time they have focused on one product (oh yeah, and "Ababall," whatever the heck that is), they can't get that right. They should REVERSE themselves and offer LESS, but make sure it worked. Give rebates for upgrades and go back to 7.06 if necessary.

Agendus 5.35 was bulletproof and T3 compatible - and 394k (reminds me of Dateman, as I mentioned). They're trying to pack too much in, and like a laptop PC - eventually the "cramming" just can't handle the demand.

An alarm isn't the only glitch - in preferences/colors/meeting and to do, if you set a color and an icon and don't "apply," exit the app and re-enter, you can lose those defaults after a soft reset or installing ANY OTHER program, OR deleting any of your To Do or Meeting categories. They eventually "stick," but I found I had to change one, exit, and then "re-enter" Agendus to change another color/icon default. The icons seem to "stick" less than the color preferences.
 
I think that they are so busy with Enterprise solutions that they've lost their "retail" focus. Mind you just a guess. And perhaps reasons for the demise of other programs that weren't part of the enterprise process.

My company may be moving to Goldmine and if that's the case then it may be that I'm forced to migrate away...but it will be at least 6 months and I'll stick with the program for now but I have forceably voiced dissatisfaction with a 60 day old "beta" released version.

I firmly believe that much of the problem is being caused by conduit's and new databases from the T3 and new Zire units. Although, I'm not a programmer it seems that most of the problems are occuring on those platforms. Some are occuring on my Treo and did as well as on the T3 but this is when the program started having errors - new databases caused?

Even Datebk5 didn't get it straight until April - I know I'm also a registered user of Datebk5 and just won't give in, yet.
 
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