Kpilot

The kpilot program is the KDE Desktop system's answer to the PDA sync problem. It consists of two parts , a daemon (called, not unexpectedly, kpilotDaemon ), which may be run to constantly watch for synchronizations, and a GUI client program called kpilot. You control the settings of both programs through kpilot.

The kpilot program is a bit more complete than pilot-manager in that it provides built in viewer/editor screens for certain standard palm databases. When you start kpilot, you get the screen shown in Figure 16-7 .

Figure 16-7. Kpilot ”Start.

If you haven't already set up kpilot, you must do so by selecting File -> Settings. That will pop up the dialog box in Figure 16-8 . Note that this dialog box has four tabs. This one, the likely default, allows you to set baud rates, port, and daemon preferences. (As an aside, kpilot is probably the poorest at dealing with USB cradles, but it is very good in other respects, as you will soon see.)

Figure 16-8. Kpilot-Settings ”General.

The second tab, which looks like Figure 16-9 , allows you to set the import and export format for your address book using a series of macros that correspond to the data fields in the standard palm addressbook application.

Figure 16-9. Kpilot-Settings ”Address.

The remaining tabs, DB Specials and Sync, allow you to specify databases to be backed up only or to be skipped altogether, and to specify alternative sync behavior (such as always having the desktop override the pilot, or to do a full backup instead of only a sync). It is left to you to explore these options in depth if you have need of them.

kpilot includes native conduits for three applications: Memos, Addressbook, and File Installer. You may access these under the Conduits menu entry, or by the dropdown list on the top right of the main application screen.

Let's take a quick look at each. The Memos conduit provides a desktop view of the memos in your palm. It allows you to view, export, import, and delete memos. In other words, it is very like the Windows-based Palm Desktop software for the same purpose. When you have a memo on the screen, you can click on the memo and edit it. Figure 16-10 presents a screenshot.

Figure 16-10. Kpilot ”Memo.

The Address Book conduit looks like Figure 16-11 . The Export and Import buttons are where that Address Settings tab we showed you earlier come into play. As you can see from the other buttons , you can edit, delete, and create new entires.

Figure 16-11. Kpilot ”Address.

The File Installer looks like Figure 16-12 . Pressing the Add File button opens the standard KDE file selection dialog box. Pressing the Clear List button will, of course, clear the list. Tricky, that. Files specified here will be loaded into the palm on the next sync.

Figure 16-12. Kpilot ”Install.

All of that is always built into the kpilot application. But, just as with the pilot-manager application, it is possible to write additional conduits for kpilot. Several have been included with kpilot as distribuited by KDE.org . You access them from the Conduits menu ( Figure 16-13 ). Select External and you will get the screen shown in Figure 16-14 .

Figure 16-13. Kpilot-Conduit ”Menu.

Figure 16-14. Kpilot ”External.

As you can see, I have the KOrganizer Calendar Conduit working. That means my appointments in my Palm Datebook are kept in sync with those in my KDE Korganizer application. To make one of these conduits active, drag and drop it from the Inactive entry to the Active entry. Likewise, to deactivate one, drag and drop from Active to Inactive.

To configure one, simply click on it. For example, clicking on the KOrganizer Calendar Conduit brings up the screen shown in Figure 16-15 . As you can see, this conduit is set up to store appointments in my Korganizer Calender file ( mike.vcs ), and it is set to prompt me before making changes to it.

Figure 16-15. Kpilot-korg ”cal.

During an actual sync operation, a small window showing current activity opens. Figure 16-16 presents an example.

Figure 16-16. Kpilot ”sync.

So, if you happen to be a KDE user , you might find that kpilot is one of the best choices for synching your PalmOS PDA. Because of its daemon-based sync listener, however, it is a poor choice for USB-based Handspring users.