The screen below shows the screen for editing people records. Note the button labeled Main Menu. Clicking that button will close the active form and take you back to the main menu. The forms all have an auto number field, in the case below it is labeled UID. This cannot be changed on the Pocket PC. If you add a new record when disconnected from the desktop a new UID will be generated when you save the record by choosing the Main Menu button or moving to the next or prior record. Let's say you create a new record on the Pocket PC and the UID field is autoincremented to 5. Meanwhile you or a staff member adds a new record using the desktop or web application (both of which are constantly connected to the .mdb file, unlike the pocket pc applet. That record will also be assigned a UID of 5. When you next sync the pocket pc applet, synchronizing will fail. The UID field is a primary key and won't allow duplicates. If this happens, you will want to open the desktop application and change the UID of 5 to 6. Then re sync and the Pocket PC added record will now synchronize correctly.
Notice the scroll bar at the right of the screen below. Not all fields will be displayed on some screens so you may need to scroll down to enter information in all fields.
The screen below shows the same table, people, in List view. You can switch to list view by clicking the icon on the record screen to the left of the magnifying glass icon. When in list view as below, double clicking on a row will switch to form view of the highlighted record.
The screen below shows the contacts screen. The login ID (displayed as the person's full name) is required. The windows desktop and web application both provide for insuring that the Login ID is automatically filled in when you select a customer's name from the ... in the windows app, and when the customer himself/herself uses the web application to submit a support request. However, in the case of adding a contact record on the Pocket PC you much select both the Login ID and Customer Names from the drop down list boxes. The Status field is populated from the Status table and is selected from a drop down list as well. The Contact Details section is a scrollable text area. You will need to use the vertical scroll bar to see the other fields.
Tap your stylus in a date field and a popup calendar will be displayed to easy date selection.
The screen shot below shows the pop up menu that will be displayed when you click on the word Record on the bottom menu bar. NOTE: The print option will not work unless you have a Pocket PC printer, I don't use one myself.
One of the menu options above is "search", the same function is called by clicking the icon with the magnifying glass. This search option only works with columns that are sorted. However when you have chosen a sort field it may be helpful to search for matching records. In the next screen I am going to search the City column in the people table. I am positioned at the city of PFLUGERVILLE. I choose the Search menu option and type in san ant, I am looking for San Antonio...
The next screen shows the first match I found.
Now there is a more useful option under the, well, Option menu.
Notice above that I have a lot of cities besides PFLUGERVILLE,
In the screen above you see List which has a check mark indicating I am in List mode instead of single record mode. Next is a Zoom option - choose this to see a larger font size, and under that is a Filter option. That is what I want to use next.
In the screen above I selected the City field in the first drop down list box. In the operator drop down I have selected the = operator and since I had already highlighted a record in the City I want to filter on, PFLUGERVILLE is selected. I could add a couple of additional conditions, but the city field is all I really want to filter on for not. When I click the OK button you can see on the next screen my list is now filtered for that condition to remove the filter and see all records again, I would click the Off menu to remove my custom sort.
Three other options are worth noting here: Import, Export and Clear. First thing first: if you click Clear you will delete all records in the table - maybe not a good thing, since the next time you sync you would clear - delete all records in the database on the desktop. and that might be a "bad thing". Import will let you import a properly formatted file from the same folder as the form the table is based on (my documents\mgcs) but it will not let you choose a file and the file must be properly formatted. How do you get such a file in that folder? One way is to choose the Export option. This will create a file in that folder - suitable for importing. Why would you do that? Well, if first export a table and then make changes to it, changes you didn't intend to make, you could use the Clear option, then Import - which would import the file you exported just before your changes that turned out to be a bad thing.
Let me warn you again, the synchronization process can be troublesome until you get used to it. In fact the Pocket PC app itself may have limited appeal to some, especially due to the fact that auto numbering can be problematic. So why include the Pocket PC at all? Well, some may find it very useful to be able to take not just a stack of reports, or lug a laptop to a meeting when they can take a Pocket PC with their up to date data on it to a meeting. They can quickly get answers to questions about customers/contacts without resorting to the I will get back to you answer. When asked what is the status on the contact for this or that customer, you can quickly search, or filter the data on your pocket pc and provide the answer. Or maybe you want to work at home or on the plane. The Pocket PC app will let you update those pending contacts and then when you pop the Pocket PC back in it's cradle the next day the desktop app (maybe the web app, too if you are using it) will be up to date from your entries on the Pocket PC. I think this will turn out to be one of those Love It/Hate It type things but I wanted to provide the option.
I hope that many will find the Pocket PC applet useful. I have included a similar applet in the past with mixed responses from users. Some loved, others didn't use it, and most others I never heard from again after they placed an order. If you try MGCS 2005 and have comments on the Pocket PC applet, I would be glad to receive an email with your comments: dbandsons@aol.com