Copyright 1997-2001 by Florent
Pillet, All Rights Reserved.
SymbolHack Web Site: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fpillet/symbhackGB.html
E-mail: florent.pillet@wanadoo.fr
SymbolHack help you access hard-to-write symbols faster on your PalmPilot by popping a small symbols table window when accessing the Keyboard. SymbolHack provides for a configurable symbols table and optional screen positioning for left-handed or right-handed users.
The Keyboard is still accessible: simply tap the 'Keyboard' button at bottom on the SymbolHack pop-up window, and the original Keyboard is displayed.
SymbolHack is a HackMaster extension. It is not an application, and can not be run alone. To install it, you first need to install HackMaster from Daggerware. You can download HackMaster from the HackMaster Web Site:
http://www.daggerware.com/hackmstr.htm
Note: HackMaster is shareware. Please support shareware!
If you have a previous version of SymbolHack installed on your PalmPilot, make sure you first deactivate it by going to the HackMaster application and unchecking the checkbox left to the 'SymbolHack' line. If you do not deactivate SymbolHack before installing the new version, you PalmPilot will most certainly crash the next time you try to access the Keyboard.
Install SymbolHack and HackMaster on your PalmPilot (if HackMaster is already installed, you do not need to reinstall it).
Do not delete SymbolHack prior to upgrading! Doing so would reset the symbols palette, and all the changes you had done to it would be lost.
Once you have installed HackMaster and SymbolHack, start the HackMaster application. You will see a list of installed hacks, including SymbolHack. On the left, a checkbox lets you activate or deactivate SymbolHack. On the right, the question mark brings SymbolHack's About box.
Tap in the + sign to set SymbolHack preferences (see the Configuring SymbolHack section below).
Once you have activated SymbolHack, you gain access to the Symbols pop-up window from any application. For example, go to the MemoPad application, open a memo, then tap somewhere in the text. Now tap the bottom-right corner of the Graffiti area (which usually brings the Keyboard dialog). If you are running PalmOS 1.x, go to the Edit menu and select 'Keyboard' (or use the /K shortcut): a little window appears on the screen.
- Tap a symbol to insert it in the text.
- Tap the Keyboard button to access the original keyboard.
- Tap outside the pop-up window to close it without choosing a symbol.
In the HackMaster application, tap the '+' icon right to the "SymbolHack" name to access the settings dialog.
This dialog lets you:
- Change symbols in the symbols table,
- Select your preferred font size (if you have trouble reading small characters, you may prefer using a large size),
- Select the position of the Symbols pop-up window on the screen (left or right),
- Select the hot corner that brings the SymbolHack pop-up window (available on PalmOS 2.x only).
To change symbols, tap the desired symbols. It appears in the editable field at right of the Settings window. Enter another character in the field. When you tap another symbol in the table, the one you just changed is updated.
Tip: while changing symbols, you can still access the Graffiti help by taping the Menu button. If SymbolHack is active, you can also access it.
SymbolHack is very user friendly. It has been designed in such a way that any user can choose a setting that fits his/her own handheld habits. Here are some tricks:
- If you are left handed (like me), you may prefer configuring SymbolHack to display the pop-up palette on the left of the screen. To ease access, also configure the bottom-left corner of the Graffiti area to be the SymbolHack corner. You can still directly access the Keyboard using menu shortcuts (usually /K) or tapping the bottom-right corner of the Graffiti area.
- The default palette in SymbolHack has been designed to display symbols by logical groups. For example, the first line contains fractions and exponents, the second and third lines contain mathematical symbols, etc. Depending on the app you are using most, you may prefer transferring the symbols you use most frequently at bottom of the palette for quicker access once you have tapped SymbolHack's hot corner.
The shareware distribution model allows authors to make very cheap software available to users. Also, shareware authors usually update their software as often as needed, and paying for the software you use keeps authors motivated!
If there is any improvement you would like, please send your suggestions to Florent Pillet (e-mail: florent.pillet@wanadoo.fr). Registered users are informed 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 or sold to anyone else.
If you want to get really productive with your handheld, have a look at FindHack, the definitive replacement for the PalmPilot's built in Find function. FindHack is cool, cheap and extremely useful! It offers a range of features that make it easier finding stuff in your handheld.
SymbolHack 1.1 (February 1998)
- Bug Fixes
- On PalmOS 1.x, SymbolHack can only be accessed using the Keyboard menu command (or the diagonal stroke from bottom right of the Graffiti area to top left of the screen). Version 1.1 now flushes the pen queue to avoid unwanted selection of the symbol that appears to be under the pen when the menu item is selected.
- Improvements
- Only one corner of the Graffiti area now activates SymbolHack. This lets you use the remaining corner to directly access the original keyboard, and provides for better usability when J-OS (the Japanese language enabler) is installed.
- The Keyboard is now also directly accessible using the Keyboard menu command (usual shortcut is /K).
SymbolHack 1.0 (January 1998)
- First release of SymbolHack