FindHack 4 User's Guide

(Read all of this, please!)

Copyright 1997-2003 by Florent Pillet, All Rights Reserved.
FindHack is a $14.95 shareware product. Please register!
FindHack Web Site: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fpillet/
Mirror Web Site: http://fpillet.free.fr/
Support E-mail: florent.pillet@wanadoo.fr


 

Table of contents

  1. About FindHack
  2. Installing, activating, removing FindHack
  3. Upgrading from a previous version
  4. Configuring FindHack
    1. Global options
    2. Application Sets
    3. Favorites
    4. Built-In applications
  5. Using FindHack
    1. The Find dialog
    2. The Results dialog
  6. Tips and tricks
  7. Limitations and troubleshooting
  8. Registering FindHack
  9. Miscellaneous
    1. Acknowledgements
    2. Other products
  10. Changes history

 


 

1. About FindHack

FindHack is a replacement for the Palm OS® Find function. It is compatible with handhelds based on Palm OS 3.3 to Palm OS 5.

FindHack brings the following enhancements (among others):

 


 

2. Installing, activating, removing FindHack

To install FindHack, just HotSync it to your handheld.

A departure from previous versions, FindHack 4 is now a full-fledged application. You previously needed to use a system extension manager like Hackmaster to activate FindHack: this is not required anymore. Once you have installed FindHack on your handheld, launch the application once and check the Enable FindHack checkbox on the main screen.

To remove FindHack from your handheld, first start the FindHack application and make sure the Enable FindHack checkbox is unchecked (if FindHack's Find dialog appears when you tap your handheld's Find icon, then FindHack is not properly disabled). Delete the FindHack application by going to the Launcher (tap your handheld's Applications button) and select Delete in the Launcher's App menu.

 


 

3. Upgrading from a previous version

a. Upgrading from FindHack 3.x

If you are upgrading from version 3.x or earlier, you will need to proceed with the following steps:

  1. Launch your system extension management application (HackMaster, X-Master, etc) and deactivate FindHack. If you do not deactivate FindHack before installing the new version, your handheld will most certainly crash the next time you try to do a Find.
  2. Delete the previous version of FindHack from your handheld.
  3. HotSync to install the new version of FindHack.

b. Upgrading from a previous version of FindHack 4

To upgrade from FindHack 4.x to a newer release, make sure that FindHack's Enable FindHack checkbox is unchecked, then HotSync to install the new version on your handheld. After that, open the FindHack application and check the Enable FindHack checkbox.

 

 


 

4. Configuring FindHack

Starting with FindHack 4.0, many configuration options have been added. You simply need to launch the FindHack application to configure it.

 

4.1 Global options

The main configuration screen is the one displayed when you launch the FindHack application.

Check the Enable FindHack box to activate FindHack. When the box is checked, tapping the Find icon on your handheld (right to the Graffiti writing zone) opens FindHack's Find dialog. If you uncheck the box, tapping the Find icon will bring the handheld's built-in Find dialog.

Select the number of recent search terms to remember in the pop-up menu right to the Remember last label. Recent search terms will appear in the pop-up menu at right of the Find: text field in the Find dialog.

Check the Non-Roman Language box if you are working on a device with a non-roman language. Once you check this box, a second box appears reading "Complex (Japanese, Chinese...)". Check this second box only if you are using a double-byte language (i.e. Japanese; Chinese). Most other non-roman writings like Cyrillic, Hebrew, etc. are not complex non-roman languages.

 

4.2 Application Sets

FindHack allows you to define an unlimited number of Application Sets. Each set defines which applications are included in the search.

This is very useful to create restricted sets of applications to search for specific data. For example, you may create a set which targets only business applications (word processor, spreadsheet, etc). This way, when searching for business-related data, FindHack will automatically skip all applications which don't contain data related to your search, speeding up the search and showing less results.

To create a new set, tap the New... button. You will be prompted for a name to give to this set. Once created, the new set's name will appear in the pop-up menu at top of the screen. Below is the list of applications installed on your handheld. The checkbox right to each application's name indicates whether the application is enabled or disabled for this set.

You can activate or deactivate all applications at once by selecting Enable All or Disable All in the Applications menu.

To change the name of a set, select it in the pop-up menu then tap the Details... button.

To delete a set, select it in the pop-up menu, tap the Details... button then tap the Delete... button in the details dialog.

 

4.3 Favorites

Favorites are search terms that you predefine, along with their search options. Use favorites to quickly access the most frequent terms you look for on your handhelds. You can create any number of favorites.

Your favorites will appear in the pop-up menu right to the Find: field in the Find dialog.

You can select whether favorites are displayed before or after the recent search terms in the pop-up menu. Note that favorites are displayed in bold in the menu, to distinguish them from recent search terms.

Use the Show favorites pop-up menu at top of the window to select whether your favorites will appear before or after recent search terms in the Find dialog's menu.

Favorites are sorted alphabetically. Double-tap one in the list to modify it, or select it and tap the Details... button.

To create a new favorite, tap the New... button.

Each favorite has its own search options which are restored when you select it in the pop-up menu at right of the Find: field in the Find dialog.

Enter the term to search in the Find: field.

Select where this term should be searched using the In: pop-up menu. The four standard locations are displayed here (All applications, Current application, Built-in application, Current text field) as well as the application sets you have already defined.

Select the search mode for this term. Search modes are described in the next section, Using FindHack.

Also select whether this term should be search using case-insensitive and/or accent-insensitive methods by checking on unchecking the Ignore Case and Ignore Accents boxes.

 

4.4 Built-In Applications

Very often, users replace the built-in applications with more powerful versions. It is very common to find users replacing the built-in DateBook and Address Book with commercial products offering more functionality.

FindHack offers a special feature for users replacing some or all built-in applications: instead of having to create an Application Set for the replacements, directly map the built-ins recognized by FindHack to the replacements instead of the original ones.


To select a replacement for a built-in application, tap the name in the gray square. The application selection dialog pops up (see left) and lets you select the replacement application.

Choose the Reset To Defaults item in the Options menu to reset the built-in applications list to its default value.

 


 

5. Using FindHack

 

5.1 The Find dialog

Once you have enabled FindHack, tapping the Find icon on your handheld (near the Graffiti input area) will bring FindHack's Find dialog. Note that this dialog is much richer than your handheld's built-in Find dialog!

If you used FindHack before, you will notice that the new dialog is quite similar, though it brings a number of improvements described below.

Enter the text to look for in the Find: field.

Select where to search in the In: pop-up menu:

  • All Applications: will search all applications on your handheld
  • Built-In Applications: will search only the built-in applications. Note that built-in applications can be redefined, as described above.
  • Current Application: only the current application will be searched.
  • Current Text Field: this item appears in the menu only when you are in a text field by the time you tap the Find icon on your handheld. It lets you search the next occurence of the search text in the current text field, starting from the position of the cursor.
  • Below these standard entries, you'll find the appplication sets you have defined (as explained above).

Select the search method in the How: pop-up menu:

  • Simple: will look for the text as it has been entered
  • Wildcards: you can use Wildcards (*, ? or !) in the text for more powerful searches. The way wildcards work is described below. When you select Wildcards in the pop-up menu, three buttons appear to the right of the menu. You can tap them to insert one of the wilcard characters in the Find: field instead of typing them.
  • Any term: enter several words in the Find: field. Any record containing one of these words will be listed in the search results.
  • All terms: enter several words in the Find: field. Records containing all these words (in any order of appearance) will be listed in the search results.

Choose whether you want the search to be case sensitive using the Ignore Case checkbox. If you check this box, the search becomes completely case-insensitive (i.e. if you type "flower" it may find "FLOWER"). On the contrary, unchecking this box lets you refine the search by being sensitive to uppercase and lowercase.

Choose whether you want to ignore accented characters using the Ignore Accents checkbox. This option will be of use to most non-english users, where it is convenient to search for the same character regardless of it having an accent mark (i.e. searching for 'senor' would find 'señor', searching for 'eric' would find 'éric', etc.)

Once you have selected your search options, tap the Find button. FindHack displays the result window and starts the search immediately.

To review the last search results, tap the Last Results buttons.

 

5.2 The Results dialog

The results dialog in FindHack 4 has been completely rewritten. It is different from the built-in Find's results dialog. Here are the main differences:

In addition to these changes, the results list only shows those applications containing matches for your search. As in previous versions of FindHack, applications with no match are not displayed at all.

 

 


 

6. Tips And Tricks

There are many ways to use FindHack in a productive fashion:

 


 

7. Limitations and troubleshooting

  1. The built-in Find dialog is on screen when I dismiss FindHack's dialog

    This problem has been tracked to be related to an old version of McPhling, the excellent utility by Mike McCollister. Please install a recent version of McPhling (5.11 or later) and the problem will disappear.

  2. Sometimes when scrolling, application XXX displays several time the same line, but tapping the result goes to something completely different.

    This problem comes from the way FindHack redisplays the found items when scrolling. Please contact the developers of the application that incorrectly displays its results, and tell them to look at FindHack and its Developer Information documentation.



  3. Why FindHack won't improve Find in some applications

    FindHack's powerful search options work only if applications use the standard Palm OS services to perform the find. Some applications have a custom, proprietary way of doing a search because they store data in a specific way. FindHack cannot help provide the extended search options to these applications.



  4. What happens in low memory conditions

    FindHack needs a bit more memory than the original Find function in the handheld. When you tap the Find button, FindHack first checks how much memory remains in the current application, and if it considers it is not enough, it directs you to the original Find dialog.



  5. My handheld crashes after I tap the Find button

    Applications sometimes crash on Find. There are several steps you can take to solve this problem:

    1. Use an application set to remove suspect applications when searching, then repeat your Find to see if it still crashes. Repeat this step until you find the culprit.
    2. Deactivate FindHack and check whether the same search crashes your Palm handheld with the built-in Find.
    3. As a last resort, drop me a note so that I can help you solve the problem.


  6. FindHack finds items which are marked 'private' when private items are hidden

    This problem may occur if an application allows you to search in private items when in "Hide Private Data" mode. FindHack cannot prevent an application from doing so because it has no control over which items the application looks into. You should report the problem to the author of the application.



  7. Can I move FindHack to FLASH rom on my handheld?

    Yes.



  8. Can I move FindHack to a removable card (i.e. SD, Memory Stick, etc) on my handheld?

    While this is possible, it is not advisable. When enabled, FindHack locks itself into main memory, keeping a copy of the application on the Palm. This means that even if you store the application on a removable card, once activated FindHack will be present on your Palm in addition to the copy on the card.



  9. Why is the found text sometimes incompletely highlighted?

    In some applications, a "*" wildcard search result will only highlight the same number of characters that were used in the search, not the whole word or those actual digits that were found. This is because some applications do not strictly follow the rules of Palm OS and do not use the information that FindHack reports to them to highlight the found text. I recommend that you contact the application developers and let them know about the problem. This reveals a flaw in their application, not in FindHack.



  10. Why does FindHack not find items in my application XXX?

    Each application is responsible for responding to the FIND command that FindHack (and the built-in Find) sends to it. If your application does not, please contact the developers of the application and request that they add support for the sysAppLaunchCmdFind command.



 


 

8. Registering FindHack

FindHack is a $14.95 shareware product with a 30-day trial period. After this period, you will need to register your copy of FindHack to be able to continue using it.

To obtain your registration code, you will need to provide the Handheld ID for your handheld. This handheld ID is displayed in FindHack's About Box. To open the About Box, tap your handheld's menu icon, then select About FindHack.

After purchasing the software, you will receive an e-mail instructing you to go to the FindHack Support Web Site and to enter your handheld ID.

Enter the handheld ID exactly as it appears in FindHack's About Box on your handheld.This screenshot shows where on your handheld screen the handheld ID appears.

To purchase FindHack online, please go to:

Florent Pillet Web Store (http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fpillet/store.html)

If there is any improvement you would like, please send your suggestions to Florent Pillet (e-mail: Florent.Pillet@wanadoo.fr). Registered users are notified by e-mail when a new version is available. Also, please remember to send any e-mail address change to the author if you want to continue receiving update e-mails.

Your e-mail and address and user information is kept as confidential data. It is not given nor sold to anyone.

Once you obtain your registration code, open FindHack's About box and enter the registration code (which consists of three series of numbers, separated by dashes) into the Regist. Code field of the About box.

 


 

9. Miscellaneous

 

9.1 Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the people who helped me bring FindHack 4.0 to life. I wish to thank the beta testers who helped find problems before the software was released to the public. In alphabetical order: A. Nurhan Becidyan, Ben Combee, Bruce Douglass, David Kendall, Andreas Linke, Darell Long, Daniel Morais, Mikael Pertot, Wolfgang Scheele, Emett Simpson, Stefan Staub, Rick Stockton, Stephen Tomback, Scott Wieder. Thanks to Christian Robert for the logo and icons.

 

9.2 Other products

You can find links to other products I developed on my main web page, http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fpillet

Have problems accessing special characters in Graffiti? Can't get mathematical symbols? Check out SymbolHack, a nice add-on that gives you easy access to a palette with hard-to-type characters!

If you're looking for somewhere to store your serial numbers, check out DataShield, which I developed for Ultrasoft, the makers of Ultrasoft Money and Ultrasoft Checkbook).

 


 

10. Changes history

FindHack 4.0.5 (July, 2003)

FindHack 4.0.4 (April, 2003)

FindHack 4.0.3 (April, 2003)

FindHack 4.0.2 (April, 2003)

FindHack 4.0.1 (April, 2003)

FindHack 4.0 (April, 2003)

FindHack 3.8 (January, 2002)

FindHack 3.7 (December, 2001)

FindHack 3.6 (July, 2001)

FindHack 3.5 (April, 2001)

FindHack 3.0 (May, 2000)

FindHack 2.8 (March 10th, 1998)

FindHack 2.7 (March 9th, 1998)

FindHack 2.6 (End February 1998)

FindHack 2.5 (February 1998)

FindHack 2.1 (January 1998)

 

FindHack 2.0 (December 1997)

 

FindHack 1.0 (April 1997)

 


Palm OS® is a registered trademark of Palm, Inc.
Visor® is a registered trademark of HandSpring, Inc.

FindHack is Copyright (c) 1997-2003 by Florent Pillet, All Rights Reserved.