Introduction

Description

TealAgent is a handheld-format data converter, installer, and offline web browser. Controlled by the handheld and running on Windows-based PCs, it intelligently formats local, network, and web-resident news, movie times, stock quotes, and other data for the Palm, converting them to standard formats for viewing in popular programs like TealDoc, TealMeal, and TealInfo.

Contents

This archive contains the following files:

Program files:

TPSETUP.EXE The TealAgent program installer

TEALAGNT.PRC TealAgent handheld controller program

TDOCLITE.PRC Simplified document reader for Palm Doc files

SYNCAT.PRC Optional utility to force automatic HotSync operations

SETUP.BAT Batch file for placing files in the correct folders (install)

Document files:

AGNTDOC.PDF This manual document in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format

AGNTDOC.HTM This manual document in HTML format (sans images)

AGNTDOC.PDB This document in Palm document (TealDoc) format

REGISTER.HTM TealPoint Registration form in HTML format

REGISTER.TXT TealPoint Registration form in text format

Installing

TealAgent is a Windows application that installs components onto both the handheld and desktop computer. To install the program, first open the TealAgent ZIP archive file using WinZip, PkUnzip or another standard unzipping program. On many Windows installations, you can simply double-click on the ZIP file to open it.

From within the ZIP file, double-click on TPSETUP to begin installation and follow the on-screen prompts. You will be asked to select a location to install the desktop components and a handheld device to receive the PalmOS-based components:

TealAgent

This is the main TealAgent control program, and is required to schedule file conversion and downloading during HotSync.

TealSyncAt

This optional utility can schedule automatic HotSync operations at a specified time of day, provided that the handheld is present on a HotSync cradle.

TealDoc Lite

A basic document reader, TealDoc Lite is provided to read most data converted by TealAgent tasks. The full version of TealDoc may alternatively be used for more features and customization options. TealAgent can also format data into more interactive formats for programs such as TealMeal and TealInfo, available separately from tealpoint.com.

AgntDoc

This manual document also comes as a Palm doc file AGNTDOC.PRC, which you can install and read with TealDoc or TealDoc Lite.

Installing multiple handhelds

To install the TealAgent handheld components on multiple devices, simply run the installer program again, using the same installation folder as previously specified.

Alternatively, manually install all the .PRC and .PDB files that TPSETUP copies into your TealAgent installation folder using the Palm Install Tool in the Palm Desktop.

Uninstalling

To uninstall TealAgent, run the “Uninstall TealAgent” link that TPSETUP creates in your Windows Start Menu. Alternatively, directly run the “Uninstall” batch file in the TealAgent install folder.

The uninstaller will remove the TealAgent conduit component from the Palm Desktop, and delete all files in the TealAgent install folder. You will, however, need to manually delete the TealAgent shortcuts in your Windows Start Menu by right-clicking on them and selecting “Delete” from the popup menu.

Chapter 1 – Overview

TealAgent is a powerful and flexible program designed to fetch data from a variety of online sources for subsequent offline viewing on the handheld.

Powerful and configurable, TealAgent provides standard task templates that have been specially written to yield optimal results from selected web sites. These convert news, weather, stocks, driving directions, movie times, restaurant listings, and other useful tasks.

TealAgent also provides “universal” generic templates that give the user more flexibility to download any arbitrary web page or installing palm-format programs and databases.

The TealAgent package consists of three main components: the TealAgent handheld task manager, TealDoc Lite handheld document viewer, and TealAgent Desktop PC server.

TealAgent Task Manager

The TealAgent task manager allows you to create, modify, and schedule tasks to be performed at HotSync.

You can create as many tasks as you need, including multiple tasks based on the same task template, but with different settings.

TealDoc Lite

TealDoc Lite is an included basic viewer for TealDoc and PalmOS standard Doc files. While TealAgent also supports optimized output for interactive reference and database programs like TealMeal and TealInfo, most TealAgent output can be viewed in a document viewer like TealDoc Lite.

For more advanced functionality, like expansion card support, beaming, screen rotation, searching, add-on fonts, adjustable colors, and more, try the full version of TealDoc at www.tealpoint.com.

TealAgent Desktop

The TealAgent Desktop is similar to the TealAgent task manager on the handheld, except that it can run an independent list of tasks in between HotSync operations, saving downloaded files locally to the hard drive or installing them to handhelds for the next HotSync.

While more difficult to set up and use, the TealAgent Desktop can be used to pre-download a large number of files at a preset time so HotSync operations are not slowed down by them.

When processing tasks from the handheld, the TealAgent Desktop is actually used to do the work in the background, so it is here that various network, dialing and proxy settings are also set.

Chapter 2 – TealAgent Task Manager

The TealAgent main screen shows a list of active tasks for the current handheld. A checked checkmark indicates that the task is set to run at the next HotSync, either manually or by automatic scheduling.

Check on an item to manually force it to run at the next HotSync. If an item is already checked because of automatic scheduling, un-checking it will disable it for the next HotSync, but it will reschedule itself for the next HotSync after that unless you turn off the automatic scheduling.

Tap on an existing task’s name to edit its properties or schedule.

A clock icon to the right of the task name indicates that the task is scheduled for automatic activation at some time, though it does not necessarily mean that this will occur at the next HotSync. That will only occur if the checkbox next to the name is on.

Below the task list are two buttons. Tap on the “New Task” button to create a new task, “Log” to view what tasks were run at the last HotSync.

Creating a New Task

TealAgent supports 12 standard templates, which can be used to perform a variety of conversion operations. You can create as many tasks based on each template as you want. For instance, you can use multiple tasks based on the Universal Web Clipper to download content from many arbitrary web sites, or create multiple movie tasks for different cities.

When you create a new task, a list of supported templates will appear. Select one to create a new task and open it in the edit screen.

Editing Tasks

Tasks have different editing screens depending on their type. Here, you can rename the task, set options specific to the task’s type, or go to the “Autorun” screen to schedule automatic activation for the task.

Specific options are described for each template in the following chapters.

Automatically Running Tasks

On the Auto Schedule screen,
tasks can be scheduled to run automatically when HotSync occurs on specified days and times.

Days of Week

Selects the days of the week you want the task to be automatically run

Trigger Times

To maximize speed, tasks do not run every time you HotSync, but only if the selected task has not been run since the last “trigger” time.

Using these “trigger times”, you can schedule automatic activation to occur up to four times each day to keep your information current, assuming you HotSync that many times each day.

Disable Times

You can also specify a period of time when automatic activation never occurs, perhaps to keep HotSync operations at maximum speed during critical times of day. If HotSync occurs during a disabled time but after an automatic trigger time has passed, automatic activation will resume after the disabled time range has ended.

Skip Next HotSync

When this option is selected, automatic activation is skipped for one HotSync operation only. Un-checking a task in the main task list that is ready to run automatically turns on this option to delay activation for one HotSync. After you HotSync, this item is automatically unchecked.

Preferences

The Preferences screen is accessible from a menu on the Main Tasks screen. Use it to set the following settings.

Fancy System Fonts

Select “All” to always use stylized thin fonts on high-resolution devices for a sleek modern look. To revert to standard heaver PalmOS fonts, select “Auto” to use them in buttons, or “None” to always use heavy standard fonts. (New in 2.17)

Chapter 3 – Clipping Web Pages

The Universal Web Clipper can be used to load a web page you specify into TealDoc or convert plain text and HTML files on the desktop into Doc formatted files.

While a web-clipped document is not always as well formatted as page for which a specific template has been written, the Universal Web Clipper does intelligent general-purpose formatting to keep text readable on a small-screen.

For advanced users, the Universal Web Clipper has options to intelligently clip only a portion of a page, clip multiple pages, and also include any pages hyperlinked-to from the specified page, creating a single document with internal hyperlinks.

Options

The Universal Web Clipper supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

Output File Name

The name of the plain Doc or TealDoc file to create on the handheld when run

From Location

The URL (http://www.tealpoint.com) or the file path (c:\program files\documents\fred.txt) of the page or pages to convert when run. To select multiples source files, enter each URL on a separate line. The final file will concatenate all the source files together.

Be sure to include the HTTP:// prefix before any URL.

Begin Tag, End Tag

If you don’t want to convert an entire page, the web clipper can be set up to convert only a portion of the page based on its contents. Commonly, this is used to remove the standard banners, links, and navigation items from the top and bottom of a page to be clipped.

Most web pages contain repeating text or hidden comments that can be used to delimit the important portion of a web page and extract only this desired text. For instance, if a page has an HTML comment “<!-- Navigation End -->” right before the text you want to extract, you can tell TealAgent to look for this text and skip any text before it if found.

To do so, specify text (or “tags”) that TealAgent should look for to indicate where the desired section begins or ends. If a tag appears more than once in a document, you can tell TealAgent to start clipping from the second, third, or fourth occurrence of the tag to pull out just the section you want.

Note: The text search is performed on the original HTML of the page. When setting up a clipping task, you may want to use the “view source” option in your web browser to look for useful recurring tags in the document. You can use actual text that appears in the final page, or hidden comments or HTML tags that are present in the page source code but do not show up in a web browser. If you choose the former option, you must include the start of the tag ( < ) as part of your begin or end tag.

See the Appendix for an example on using the Universal Web Clipper.

Format

The web clipper support documents in both TealDoc and standard Doc format. TealDoc and virtually all document readers support the standard Doc format, but TealDoc documents can contain enhanced links and formatted headings which make the documents more attractive and usable.

Include links from text

A powerful option in TealAgent is the ability to include the text from not just a single page, but from any pages linked to from the page (or clipped portion of a page) you specify. When you select this option, any pages linked to with a text-only hyperlink will be tacked onto the end of the document. If you specify TealDoc format, a hyperlink will be added to the additional pages and they will automatically be bookmarked.

Include links from images

When this option is selected, pages linked using a click-able images will also be included in the final document. You may sometimes wish to leave this option off even when including links from text, as advertisements and general navigation links are often done as image links.

The link name will be obtained from the ALT tag for the image, if present, or from the URL of the linked page if not. Images with both text and images are considered image links.

This option does not currently cause the actual image itself to be included.

Skip off-domain links

When this option is selected, links that TealAgent detect as going to another web site are not included. Use this to skip advertisements and other link which may be irrelevant. Sites are considered “off-domain” if the beginnings of their URL’s before the first slash (/) are different.

Skip non-html links

When this option is selected, links that TealAgent cannot verify as being links to text files are omitted. Links which contain .htm or .html are assumed to be text links, while links containing .mov, .wmv, .pdf, etc are assumed to be non-text and are omitted. Ambiguous links, such as those going to cgi scripts or directory names, are skipped if this option is checked.

Clip text from linked pages

When this option is selected, linked pages are clipped using the same beginning and end tags specified for the main page. When unchecked, linked pages are included in their entirety.

Make first page links only

When this option is selected and linked pages are included, the text from the first page is omitted, and only the links are maintained. This creates a document which consists of all the linked pages and only a “table of contents” in place of the initial page.

Add date to name

Causes the current date to be added to the end of the selected output file name. If the task is run only once per day, this makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add time to name

Causes the current time to be added to the end of the selected output file name. This makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Include URL in page

When selected, the source URL is inserted at the top of the clipped page

Include title in page

When selected the page title is inserted at the top of the clipped page

Convert from HTML

Use this option when the source page is in HTML format, as most web pages are. When it is checked, TealAgent will reformat the page into text format, interpreting and removing HTML tags as necessary.

When this option is off, the source page or file is assumed to be a plain text file, and TealAgent converts it as-is into a Doc or TealDoc file. Thus, by turning off this option, one can use the Universal Web Clipper as a simple but flexible Doc converter.

Usage Notes

When setting a beginning marker, if the marker is found within the body of an HTML tag any text after the beginning marker will be included in the converted text. For instance, if you search for “Start of Story”, and the html has the text

<!-- Start of Story -->

then “ -->” will appear at the start of the converted text. To avoid this, try extending the beginning marker to the end of the HTML tag: “Start of Story -->”.

Chapter 4 – Converting CSV Files

The Universal CSV Converter is a handy template that converts .csv (comma separated value) files--typically exported from spreadsheet or database programs like Excel or MS Access--into Palm-readable folio files designed to be read with TealInfo (www.tealpoint.com). The generated folio can be scrolled around an oversized table displaying the information in a spreadsheet-like table format.

This template is particularly useful for displaying and distributing business-related data such as contact information, price lists, or sales figures.

CSV File Format

CSV files are basically text files, where tabular data is written out one-line per spreadsheet row, with cells of data in the row separated by commas, and enclosed in quotes if they contain commas themselves. Most programs which deal in tabular or database data support saving out files in CSV format. Excel and Access generate slightly different files; TealAgent supports both.

Options

The Universal CSV Converter supports the following options on its task editing screen.

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

Output File Name

The name of the TealInfo Folio to create on the handheld when run

Path/URL

The URL ( e.g. “http://www.mysite.com/file.csv” ) or absolute file path ( e.g. “c:\data\sheet.csv” ) of the CSV file to convert.

Add date to name

Causes the current date to be added to the end of the selected output file name. If the task is run only once per day, this makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add time to name

Causes the current time to be added to the end of the selected output file name. This makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add row/column headers

Adds a row of letters to the top of the table and a column of numbers to the left

Skip first row

Skips the first row of data in the CSV file, typically because it contains column labels that are not part of the data.

Skip empty rows

Skips rows that do not contain any data

Add edit button

Adds an “edit” button to the folio that allows editing the raw table data inside TealInfo.

Usage Notes

The resulting TealInfo folio is limited in size to a single PalmOS database record, which equals about 50k of CSV data.

Chapter 5 – Downloading Palm/Zip Files

The Universal File Downloader is used to download and install files which are already in Palm format, be they programs (.PRC) or data (.PDB) files. The files to install can be present on their own, or even be extracted from within a ZIP file.

Use tasks of this type to download and install files from the web directly to the handheld. All you need is a URL to the Palm format file or Zip file that contains Palm-format files.

Browsing Palm Software and Documents

The File Downloader can be particularly handy when used to try software listed by a New Palm Software task or when web clipping other PalmOS software websites. Use those templates to find programs or documents you’d like to try or update. If you find any interesting ones, you can enter their download URLs into a Download task to painlessly install them the next time you HotSync.

Using as Reverse Install Tool

You can also use it as sort of a “reverse” install tool, ”pulling” files to the handheld from a desktop PC instead of the normal procedure, where you ”push” those same files onto the handheld from the Palm Desktop. As tasks can be automatically scheduled within TealAgent, this can be useful in a corporate environment, automatically installing updating sales, contact, or other data stored in a central location whenever you HotSync.

Options

The Universal File Downloader supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

PRC or PDB File to Install

When downloading files from within a ZIP file, use this field to specify the name of the PRC or PDB file to install from within the ZIP. If you leave this field blank, all PDB and PRC files will be installed.

You can also use the asterisk (*) character as a simple wildcard. For instance, to install all PDB files that begin with “D”, enter “d*.pdb”.

Path/URL

The URL ( e.g. “http://www.mysite.com/file.zip” ) or absolute file path ( e.g. “c:\data\movie.pdb” ) of the ZIP, PDB, PRC files to install.

Usage Notes

Some sites process downloads thru an intermediate page before proceeding to the actual download file. When this occurs, you must find the direct URL to the final Zip/Palm file. If you enter the initial URL, the Universal File Downloader will download the intermediate page instead of the actual file and will thus not find any Palm-format files. Many times, however, you can find the URL of the actual download file imbedded in the initial URL.

For instance, the TealDoc download link off our site looks something like:

http://www.tealpoint.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi?link;TealDoc;http://www.tealpoint.com/download/TealDoc.zip;softdoc.htm;$19.95

In this case, the URL to the download file is embedded in this URL as:

http://www.tealpoint.com/download/TealDoc.zip

To download the TealAgent ZIP, you would use this second URL instead of the first.

Chapter 6 – Getting News

The Get News template is specially-optimized formatter of news pages from CNN.com. Hand-tuned for this site, it creates better looking and more functional documents than one could get with the Universal Web Clipper and some arbitrary news site.

You can specify the topics which interest you (such as World Events, Technology, etc) and TealAgent will build a custom document from your choices, complete with bookmarks and formatting.

While News tasks can support standard doc files, it really shines when used to create TealDoc-specific documents which support hyper-linked lists of stories organized by topic.

Options

The Get News template supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

Categories

The types of news stories you are interested in, such as sports, politics, or world news

Add date to name

Causes the current date to be added to the end of the selected output file name. If the task is run only once per day, this makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add time to name

Causes the current time to be added to the end of the selected output file name. This makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Format

News tasks support documents in both TealDoc and standard Doc format. TealDoc and virtually all document readers support the standard Doc format, but TealDoc documents can contain enhanced links and formatted headings which make the documents more attractive and usable.

Max stories per category

To keep the size of the clipped news document manageable, use this option to limit the number of stories allowed in each selected category.

Chapter 7 – Getting Local Weather

The Get Weather template looks up current conditions and weekly forecast for a specified zip code. Conditions are looked up on WEATHER.COM and output as a TealDoc or plain Doc file.

Options

The Get Weather template supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Zip code

The 5-digit zip code to the region you want to query

Add date to name

Causes the current date to be added to the end of the output file name “Weather for xxxxx”. If the task is run only once per day, this makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add time to name

Causes the current time to be added to the end of the output file name. This makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Output Format

Selects output in either plain Doc or enhanced TealDoc format

Chapter 8 – Getting Movie Times

The Get Movies template formats pages from Yahoo Movies into TealInfo folios, TealDoc files, or plain Doc files. Movie lists are generated from a given 5-digit US zip code and driving distance.

Document files take a traditional linear newspaper-style format, with movies and movie times listed by theater. TealInfo folios, on the other hand, function as an interactive mini application, displaying movie times either as movies listed by theater or theaters organized by movie.

Options

The Get Movies template supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

Output File Name

The name of the TealInfo folio, Doc or TealDoc file to create on the handheld when run

Zip code

The 5-digit zip code to the region you want to query

Add date to name

Causes the current date to be added to the end of the selected output file name. If the task is run only once per day, this makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add time to name

Causes the current time to be added to the end of the selected output file name. This makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Theatre Distance

Selects how large of a radius around the indicated zip code to search. Choose from near, farther, or far, which gives you a small, medium, or large list of theatres whose exact numbers depend on the size and density of the metropolitan are you are searching.

Format

Selects output in either plain Doc or enhanced TealDoc format, or TealInfo folio.

Chapter 9 – Getting Stock Quotes

The Get Stock Quotes template formats stock quote pages from the Yahoo Finance. The output can be formatted either as a plain Doc file, TealDoc document, or as a TealInfo folio displaying in tabular form the stock prices, changes, daily high, daily low, and trade volume.

Options

The Get Stock Quotes template supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

Output File Name

The name of the Doc or TealDoc file or TealInfo folio to create on the handheld when run

Ticker Symbols

Stock ticker symbols to look up, separated by spaces

Add date to name

Causes the current date to be added to the end of the selected output file name. If the task is run only once per day, this makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add time to name

Causes the current time to be added to the end of the selected output file name. This makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Format

Selects output in either plain Doc or enhanced TealDoc format, or TealInfo folio.

Chapter 10 – Getting Driving Directions

The Get Directions template fetches step-by-step driving directions from MapQuest.com and formats them into TealDoc or plain Doc documents.

Options

The Get Directions template supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

Output File Name

The name of the Doc or TealDoc file to create on the handheld when run

Start Address

The street, city, state, and Zip code of the US-based starting address

End Address

The street, city, state, and Zip code of the US-based ending address

Format

Selects output in either plain Doc or enhanced TealDoc format.

Chapter 11 – Getting Restaurant Listings

The Get Restaurants template formats restaurant listings from RestaurantRow.com into Palm-compatible formats. While simple restaurant lists can be made in TealDoc or plain doc format, this template really shines when making TealMeal (available separately at www.tealpoint.com) format restaurant databases. In this format, you can browse listings by food category, edit the existing entries, or add and edit your own.

Restaurant listings and accuracy are limited by voluntary entry of these figures by restaurant owners. When entries do not include a food category, this plug-in template will try to intelligently file such restaurants based on keywords found in their names, such as “Tacqueria” or “Italia”. Then, when creating TealInfo folios, the category list is automatically consolidated to broader food categories to fit TealMeal’s limit of 12 food-type categories. Additional filter descriptors (at the bottom of the screen in TealMeal) are left free for user modification and customization, as they do not correspond to any data fields in the published restaurant listings.

Options

The Get Restaurants template supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

Output File Name

The name of the Doc or TealDoc file to create on the handheld when run

Find restaurants within

The way to search for restaurants. Choose either a Zip Code, or City, State.

Search Location

Restaurants can be searched for by city and state or by zip code. For the former, specify the city followed by the two-letter state abbreviation, using a comma between the two. For the latter, a distance may be specified so that neighboring zip codes within 5 or 10 miles can also be included.

Format

Selects output in either plain Doc, enhanced TealDoc, or TealMeal datbase format.

Chapter 12 – Finding New Palm Software

The New Palm Software template summarizes the latest updated and new applications and Palm-related news from PalmGear.com. Don’t miss the latest developments in the Palm world.

Options

The New Palm Software template supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

Add date to name

Causes the current date to be added to the end of the standard output file name, “New on PalmGear.” If the task is run only once per day, this makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add time to name

Causes the current time to be added to the end of the standard output file name. This makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add Title in page

If this option is selected, the HTML page title is included in the finished document

Format

Selects output in either plain Doc or enhanced TealDoc format.

Chapter 13 – Finding New TealPoint Software

The New TealPoint Software template summarizes the latest updated and new applications on the TealPoint.com web site.

Options

The New TealPoint Software template supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

Add date to name

Causes the current date to be added to the end of the standard output file name, “TealPoint News.” If the task is run only once per day, this makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add time to name

Causes the current time to be added to the end of the standard output file name. This makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add Title in page

If this option is selected, the HTML page title is included in the finished document

Format

Selects output in either plain Doc or enhanced TealDoc format.

Chapter 14 – Finding Auction Items

The Find Auction Items template searches for items you specify on eBay.com.

Options:

The Find Auction Items template supports the following options on its task editing screen:

Task Name

The name of the task as seen in the TealAgent task list screen

Output File Name

The name of the Doc or TealDoc file to create on the handheld when run

Search for words

Term or terms to search for in item titles

Add date to name

Causes the current date to be added to the end of the selected output file name. If the task is run only once per day, this makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Add time to name

Causes the current time to be added to the end of the standard output file name. This makes the files unique so newer copies do not overwrite the old.

Format

Selects output in either plain Doc or enhanced TealDoc format.

Chapter 15 – TealDoc Lite Reader

For convenience, TealAgent includes TealDoc Lite, a basic version of our TealDoc document reader as part of the TealAgent package.

TealDoc Lite’s interface is simple and easy to use and understand.

Main Document List

The Main Document List displays a list of all Doc and TealDoc document present on the handheld. Tap on the name of a document to open it.

To delete a document, select the “Del” pushbutton before tapping on the document name.

Document Reading Screen

On the Document Reading Screen, use the hardware scroll buttons or on-screen scroll bar to navigate through the document. You can tap and hold the pen on the screen to scroll the page up or down. Tap near the top of the screen to move up, tap near the bottom to move down.

A “back” arrow button will move the page back to a previous location after selecting a link or scrolling with the scroll bar.

Next to the back button, the bookmark button allows you to bookmark your current position or navigate to preset bookmarks in the document.

For more information, please see the TealDoc manual at www.tealpoint.com.

Chapter 16 – TealAgent Desktop

The TealAgent Desktop is a PC equivalent to the handheld task manager. While many find the handheld interface more convenient, there may be at times a need to run conversions entirely from the desktop.

To run the program, double-click on the TealAgent program icon in the TealAgent install folder or select Run TealAgent Desktop from the start menu icons added during installation. The program will take a few seconds to scan for Plug-Ins and then bring up the main TealAgent Desktop window.

The Task List

At the top of the main window is the active Task List. These tasks are similar to the tasks listed in the handheld task manager, but are stored in a separate list that runs independently of the list maintained on the handheld.

Each template has unique configuration options which determine the output format, settings, and for some, data source used when fetching and converting data. A task is a specific chore you want TealAgent to perform and consists of a set of settings for a single template. As is the case with the handheld control program, multiple tasks with different settings can be configured for the same template and run independently.

Creating Tasks

Create a new task by clicking on the Add Task button. A list of all installed plug-ins will appear in the New Task window. Plug-ins are typically associated with a specific function or web site. Select a plug-in and click OK to create a new task associated with that plug-in.

Modifying Tasks

Creating a new task or clicking the Edit button in the main window will bring up the Task Properties Window with settings for the new or current task. Many of the settings will vary from template to type, but a number of standard settings apply to all types, and appear on the left side of the properties window.

Task Name

The Task Name does not affect the functionality of the task, but is simply the name of the task as it appears in the Main Window’s Task List. When a task is first created, a default name will be created for the task, but you may wish to customize it to make its use more clear. This is particularly useful if you create multiple tasks based on the same plug-in.

Target

The Target Settings determines what TealAgent Desktop does with the Palm-ready files it creates. Click on the Install to User button to automatically install these files onto the Palm organizer at the next HotSync, or on the Copy to Folder button to simply place the files into a designated folder for later installation or distribution.

About Plug-In

Press the About Plug-in button to show information about the plug-in associated with the current task.

Live Update

If present, the Live Update button indicates the presence of an Internet update location for the plug-in. Press the update button to automatically fetch and install the latest version of the plug-in from the update site.

Running Tasks

To run a task once it’s been configured, select it in the task list and click on the Run Selected Task button. TealAgent will fetch any necessary data and generate Palm-format files according you the task settings. Click on the Run All Tasks button instead to run all of the tasks in sequence.

Options

Choose the Options item from the File menu to set the following options for TealAgent. The connection options are used by both TealAgent and TealAgent Desktop.

Internet Connection

Sets the phone number, login name and password used to establish a modem connection. Use this option to have TealAgent automatically dial out and connect to the Internet when necessary.

Keep Verbose Log

The verbose log options causes extra information to be displayed in the main screen log window. Use this option to diagnose problems that might occur in downloading or converting files.

Open Minimized

This option can be used to cause TealAgent Desktop to open up in a minimized state. This is particularly useful when a shortcut to the desktop is installed in the Windows Startup folder, which you might want to do if you are running the TealAgent Desktop as an automatic timed server for PC-based tasks.

Use Internet Proxy

Use this option to fetch web pages using a proxy server, such as through a company firewall.

Proxy Port

The port number for the proxy server for handling HTTP requests.

Proxy Address

The IP address or URL for the proxy server.

Automatic Activation

TealAgent Desktop offers the ability to run tasks automatically at a specified time of day. This allows pages to be grabbed independently of HotSync operations.

To use automatic activation, set the trigger time at the bottom of the TealAgent window, set the days of the week it should be active, and check the Timer On option. When activated, TealAgent will automatically process the list of tasks in order as if you had manually clicked on the Run All button, generating Palm files and optionally installing them onto Palms for the next HotSync.

TealAgent needs to be left running for automatic activation to work, but its window can be minimized to keep it out of the way.

Chapter 17 – TealSyncat

TealSyncat is a simple utility that can be used to automatically HotSync the Palm at a specified time of day, automatically running scheduled tasks and downloading any Palm files installed by TealAgent.

To run it, simply set the time and days you want to sync, and be sure to leave the handheld in its HotSync cradle at those times.

If running TealSyncat in combination with timed tasks set up in the TealAgent Desktop, be sure to leave plenty of time for TealAgent to complete all of its work before the HotSync. If running tasks scheduled on the handheld, the timing is not critical, as tasks will automatically start once HotSync begins.

Appendix A – Troubleshooting

Installing and Running

How do I run TealAgent automatically?

Tasks set up from the handheld will automatically run at the next HotSync if you checkmark them in the TealAgent task list.

Tasks set up in the TealAgent Desktop on the PC will automatically run only if you set up timed activation there and leave the program running. You can create a shortcut to TealAgent and place it in the Windows Startup folder to launch the program automatically on boot-up. You might also want to set TealAgent’s options to open in a minimized state.

How do I read TealInfo or TealMeal Format documents?

You need TealInfo or TealMeal, available separately. Try them both for free at www.tealpoint.com

I’ve used Live Update to update a plug-in, but it’s missing some features.

When a plug-in template is updated, it doesn’t affect the settings in a previously-created task. If additional features require additional input settings, a new task should be created instead.

How do I install the handheld software on multiple devices?

Run the TPSetup installer program again, or manually install all the PDB/PRC files placed in the TealAgent install folder (typically c:\program files\TealAgent).

How do I Uninstall TealAgent?

You can delete the handheld components normally using the “Delete” menu in the Palm launcher app. To delete the desktop components, either run the “Uninstall TealAgent” shortcut in the start menu, or run the “Uninstall” batch file in the TealAgent install folder.

Compatibility

Which web sites are compatible?

While almost any web site can be grabbed with the Universal Web Clipper, only the text portion of such pages can be clipped. Text or images generated from Flash, Java, Javascript, or other browser extensions are ignored. Also, pages can only be grabbed if they can be directly reached with an entered URL. These correspond to pages which can be directly bookmarked as a favorite page in an Internet browser.

Can I clip pages with images?

At this time, although TealDoc supports images, the Universal Web Clipper ignores images in performing page conversions. Future updates may add support as an option.

Appendix B – Script Mode

A tool for advanced users only, the TealAgent Desktop supports a basic script mode for running tasks from the command line or another application.

When the program starts up, TealAgent looks for a file named “TealAgnt.ini” in the same folder as the TealAgent Desktop program file. If found, it executes commands in the file line-by-line. Using this feature, it’s possible to make simple DOS batch files that create or copy a temporary “TealAgnt.ini” file and then run TealAgent to execute different tasks with a simple double-click.

You can also specify an alternate name for the script file by starting TealAgent with the “-s” option on the command line:

TealAgnt -s myfiles.ini

Supported commands in the script file include:

RUN “Task Name” - Runs a task with the given task name, as seen in the task list

RUNALL - Runs all tasks

STOP - Finish running the batch file (otherwise, TealAgent will continue to the end of the file)

QUIT - Quit the application when done

DELETE - Delete this batch file when done

The QUIT and DELETE commands do not execute until the batch file has finished processing.

Appendix C – Writing your own Plug-ins

It is possible to write your own TealAgent templates for the TealAgent Desktop. These templates will not, however, be supported by the TealAgent handheld task manager.

TealAgent templates are designed to written using any compiled language. They communicate with TealAgent using command line parameters and temporary files for maximum compatibility with different programming languages and environments, including ANSI-C and compiled Perl using a utility line Perl2Exe. TealAgent performs many functions for the templates, including fetching files from URLs, unzipping files, making doc files and TealInfo folios, and installing the created files to a specified user.

For more information, check the software developer’s page on the TealPoint Software web site for availability of a developer’s kit including sample source code and documentation.

Appendix D – Revision History

Version 2.17 – March 17, 2008

· Added new preferences option to enable/disable “thinline” fancy fonts

Version 2.16 – October 10, 2007

· Improved application visual style with new rounded buttons and thinline font

· Fixed news story headers to formatting correctly with current source web site layout

· Fixed education news stories appearing with current source web site layout

· Improved news stories to better parse story titles and body text

· Improved dining entries to correctly parse restaurants with no phone number

· Updated auction plugin to pull entries from eBay instead of Yahoo auctions

Version 2.13 – April 7, 2007

· Updated news plugin to fix changes to sports and finance channels

Version 2.12.02 – September 11, 2006 (silent update)

· Updated weather plugin to fix formatting due to change in source web site URL

Version 2.12.01 – July 18, 2006 (silent update)

· Updated stocks plugin to fix formatting due to change in source web site layout

Version 2.12 – April 19, 2006

· Updated news plugin to fix extra text and missing stories due to changes in source site format

· Updated auctions plugin to fix extra text due to changes in source site format

· Updated auctions plugin to fix extra text due to changes in source site format

· Fixed handheld control program to remove extra shift indicator in checklist controls

· Improved 5-way nav in handheld control program to scroll task list if list is hightlighted

Version 2.11B – March 9, 2006

· Fixed installation of files downloaded using zip/download plugin

Version 2.11 – February 9, 2006

· Fixed checklist selection/drawing in handheld configuration screens

Version 2.10 - December 5, 2005

· Updated weather plug-in to account for changes in source web page layout

· Updated tealpoint plug-in to account for changes in source web page layout

· Updated auctions plug-in to account for changes in source web page layout (now Yahoo Auctions)

· Fixed compatibility with new Palm Desktop software if running agents when simultaneously installing applications

· Fixed incompatibility with z22

Release 2.06 - March 3, 2005

· Weather plugin - added 36 hour forecast and cleaned up formatting for new site layout

· PalmGear plugin - cleaned up formatting to adjust for new site layout

· EBay plugin - cleaned up extraneous characters at start of file

· Driving directions - cleaned up formatting to adjust for new site layout

· TealDoc Lite - Added compatibility to checkbox controls with 'midnight' dark color themes

· TealDoc Lite - Fixed active control highlighting on Tungsten T5 in landscape mode

· TealDoc Lite - Fixed custom drawing routines for Tungsten T5 left-handed landscape mode

· TealAgent - Optimized 5-way controls to match new UI guidelines

· TealAgent - Added compatibility to checkbox controls with 'midnight' dark color themes

· TealAgent - Fixed active control highlighting on Tungsten T5 in landscape mode

· TealAgent - Fixed custom drawing routines for Tungsten T5 left-handed landscape mode

Release 2.05 – November 16, 2004

· Fixed pick list selection on Tungsten T5

• Added compatibility with full screen mode on Tungsten T5

Version 1.00, October 24, 2000:

• Initial release

Appendix E – Product Line

Visit us online for our complete product line, including:

SHORTCIRCUIT ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softshrt.htm )

A new twist on gameplay fused from your all time action puzzle favorite games, connect falling conduit pieces into explosive loops in this frantic race against the clock.

SUDOKUADDICT ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softsudo.htm )

Sudoku Addict brings to your handheld the addictive worldwide puzzle craze that has displaced crossword puzzles in many newspapers in Great Britain and Japan.

TEALAGENT ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softagnt.htm )

Get news, movie times, stock quotes, driving directions, web pages and more without need for a wireless connection. TealAgent fetches and formats web-based content for offline viewing.

TEALALIAS ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softalia.htm )

Free up memory and make the most of external expansion cards. Placeholder 'Alias' shortcut files automatically find, load, and launch apps and data from external SD cards, increasing free main memory.

TEALAUTO ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softauto.htm )

Track and graph automobile mileage, service, and expenses with TealAuto, the complete log book for your car or any vehicle. Extensive customization options and unmatched in features and functionality.

TEALBACKUP ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softback.htm )

Backup your valuable data with TealBackup, supporting manual and automatic backups to SD/MMC/CF cards and Memory Stick, backups through HotSync, and optional compression and encryption.

TEALDESKTOP ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softdesk.htm )

Launch applications with TealDesktop, the themed replacement for the standard system launcher screen with tabs, multiple card folders, drag and drop, and more

TEALDIET ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softdiet.htm )

Shape up your life with TealDiet, the diet, exercise, and personal tracking application for mobile devices. Lose weight, build more muscle, and live healthier with TealDiet.

TEALDOC ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softdoc.htm )

Read, edit, and browse documents, Doc files, eBooks and text files with TealDoc, the enhanced doc reader. Extensive display and customization options; TealDoc is unmatched in features and usability.

TEALECHO ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softecho.htm )

Improve your Graffiti text input speed and accuracy, seeing what you write with TealEcho digital "ink". No more writing blind!

TEALGLANCE ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softglnc.htm )

See the time, date, upcoming appointments and todo items at power-up with TealGlance. The TealGlance pop-up utility and key guard comes up when you power up, letting you see your day "at a glance."

TEALINFO ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softinfo.htm )

Lookup postal rates, area codes, tip tables, schedules, airports, and info from hundreds of free TealInfo databases. Create you own mini-apps; a handheld reference library.

TEALLAUNCH ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softlnch.htm )

Launch applications instantly with the TealLaunch pop-up launcher and button/stroke-mapping utility. Map applications to button presses and pen swipes so you can get to your apps quickly.

TEALLOCK ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softlock.htm )

Secure and protect your handheld with TealLock, the automatic locking program with encryption and card support. TealLock has unmatched features and customization options for personal or corporate use.

TEALMAGNIFY ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softlens.htm )

Save your eyesight with TealMagnify, an ever-ready magnifying glass that works with most any program. TealMagnify lets you enlarge the screen for those times the text is too small to read.

TEALMASTER ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softmstr.htm )

Replace Hackmaster with TealMaster, the supercharged 100%-compatible system extensions manager. TealMaster adds enhanced stability, configuration and diagnostic features and PalmOS 5.0 hack emulation.

TEALMEAL ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softmeal.htm )

Save and recall your favorite restaurants with TealMeal, the personal restaurant database. With TealMeal's handy sorting and selection options, never ask "where to eat" again.

TEALMEMBRAIN ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softmemb.htm )

Stop crashes and monitor your memory use with TealMemBrain, the application stack stabilizer. TealMemBrain boosts your stack space on OS3 and OS4 handhelds, eliminating the major cause of system instability.

TEALMOVER ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softmovr.htm )

Beam, delete, rename, and copy files with TealMover, the file management utility for SD/CF/MS cards. TealMover lets you see, move, modify, hex edit, and delete individual files.

TEALMOVIE ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softmovi.htm )

Play and convert high-quality video and synchronized sound with the TealMovie multimedia system. TealMovie includes a handheld audio/movie player and a Windows AVI/MPEG/Quicktime converter program.

TEALNOTES ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softnote.htm )

Insert freehand graphics anywhere with TealNotes "sticky notes" for Palm OS. TealNotes can be inserted into memos, to-do lists, address book entries--almost anywhere you currently have editable text.

TEALPAINT ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softpnt.htm )

Paint, sketch, or draw with TealPaint, the all-in-one mobile graphics paint program and photo editor. Highlights include 25 tools, 32 patterns, 49 brushes, zoom, layers, undo, & JPEG/GIF/BMP support.

TEALPHONE ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softphon.htm )

Supercharge the address book with TealPhone, the contacts replacement with superior interface and options. Highlights include enhanced display, search, phone-dialing, groups, and linking.

TEALPRINT ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softprnt.htm )

Print text and graphics to IR, serial, and Windows printers with TealPrint. With numerous connection options, TealPrint, is the all-in-one text and graphic printing solution.

TEALSAFE ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softsafe.htm )

Store your passwords, credit cards, PIN numbers, and bank accounts in the TealSafe data wallet. With maximum security and encryption, TealSafe is a must for features and security.

TEALSCRIPT ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softscrp.htm )

Replace or restore Graffiti with TealScript, the text recognition system you can customize. Unlike other systems, you can make or change your own strokes for better speed and accuracy.

TEALTRACKER ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softtrac.htm )

Track time and expenses with a fast, easy to use interface that requires minimal effort. Generate reports and export data to a spreadsheet. TealTracker is your personal time clock.

TEALTOOLS ( http://www.tealpoint.com/softtool.htm )

Improve productivity with TealTools pop-up Palm Desk Accessories. TealTools includes a popup calculator, clock/stopwatch, preferences panel, editing panel, memopad, and a file/backup manager.

Appendix F – Credits

Manual by Vince Lee, Tex Tennison, and Sara Houseman

Appendix G – Contact Info

TealAgent by TealPoint Software

©2000-2007 All Rights Reserved.

TealPoint Software

TealAgent for PalmOS

454 Las Gallinas Ave Suite #318

San Rafael, CA 94903-3618

We look forward to hearing from you.

Please visit us at www.tealpoint.com, or email us at contact@tealpoint.com.

Appendix H – Registering

Registering allows you to use the program past the 30 day expiration period and turns off registration reminders.

Currently, you may register by snail mail or online with a credit card and a secured server from the store where you downloaded the software. For the first option, send the following information on a sheet of paper separate from your payment.

· Product Name

· E-Mail Address

· HotSync User ID (Pilot Name Required for Passkey generation. It can be found on the main screen of the HotSync application on the Pilot as "Welcome ________" or in the corner on a PalmIII or higher)

· Check (drawn off a US Bank) or Money Order for ($19.95 US). No international checks or money orders please.

Appendix I – Legal Notice

We at TealPoint Software are committed to providing quality, easy-to-use software. However, this product is provided without warranty and the user accepts full responsibility for any damages, consequential or otherwise, resulting from its use.

This archive is freely redistributable, provided it is made available only in its complete, unmodified form with no additional files and for noncommercial purposes only. Any other use must have prior written authorization from TealPoint Software.

Unauthorized commercial use includes, but is not limited to:

§ A product for sale.

§ Accompanying a product for sale.

§ Accompanying a magazine, book or other publication for sale.

§ Distribution with "Media", "Copying" or other incidental costs.

§ Available for download with access or download fees.

This program may be used on a trial basis for 30 days. The program will continue to function afterwards. However, if after this time you wish to continue using it, please register with us for the nominal fee listed in the program. Thank you.

CUSTOMER LICENSE AGREEMENT

YOU ARE ABOUT TO DOWNLOAD, INSTALL, OPEN OR USE PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE OWNED BY TEALPOINT SOFTWARE, INC. CAREFULLY READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS END USER LICENSE BEFORE DOING SO, AND CLICK BELOW THAT YOU ACCEPT THESE TERMS.

1. License. You are authorized to use the Software Product owned and developed by TealPoint Software, Inc. on a single hand-held computing device on a trial basis for thirty (30) days. If after 30 days you wish to continue using it, you are required to register with TealPoint and pay the specified fee. This license is not exclusive and may not be transferred. You may make one copy of the Software for back-up and archival purposes only.

2. Ownership. You acknowledge that the Software Product is the exclusive property of TealPoint Software, Inc, which owns all copyright, trade secret, patent and other proprietary rights in the Software Product.

3. Restrictions. You may NOT: (a) decompile or reverse engineer the Software Product; (b) copy (except as provided in 1 above) sell, distribute or commercially exploit the Software product; or (c) transfer, assign or sublicense this license.

4. Disclaimer of Warranty and Liability. TEALPOINT MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS OR FUNCTIONING OF THE LICENSED SOFTWARE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ALL OF WHICH TEALPOINT DISCLAIMS. ALL LIABILITY IS DISCLAIMED AND TEALPOINT ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, DIRECT OR INDIRECT, INCIDENTIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR SPECIAL, ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OF THE LICENSED SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.

5. Termination. You may terminate this Agreement at any time by destroying your copy(ies) of the Software Product. The Agreement will also terminate if you do not comply with any of its terms and conditions, at which time you are required to destroy your copy(ies) of the Software Product and cease all use.

6. Applicable Law. This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of California.

.