# GNOME PalmOS Synchronization Tools

The `gnome-pilot` package, along with the optional conduits in `evolution-pilot`, allows you to move information between your handheld PalmOS device and your GNOME desktop. You must run the setup tool before synchronizing. The setup tool will normally also start the GNOME Pilot Daemin, `gpilotd`. If it is not running, you may need to start it with the command `/usr/libexec/gpilotd`. You can also start the daemon using the GNOME Pilot panel applet. To add the applet to your GNOME panel, right-click on any blank space in the panel and select Add to Panel Utility Pilot Applet.

## GNOME Pilot Configuration Tool

To start the GNOME Pilot configuration tool, double-click on the Palm Pilot icon in the GNOME Control Center, or enter the command `gpilotd-control-applet`. You can also start the configuration tool by clicking on the GNOME Pilot applet in your panel.

There are three tabs in the Pilot Settings tool: Pilots, Devices, and Conduits. In addition, the first time you run the GNOME Pilot tools, you will be guided through setup by an assistant.

### The GNOME Pilot Setup Assistant

The setup assistant will guide you through getting your PalmOS device ready to synchronize with your desktop system. At each step, enter the information requested and then click Next.

The first step is to describe your handheld's cradle. Check setup-conftool-devices for more information about the data requested by this step.

The second step is device identification. If you have used synchronization software with the pilot before, it will already have a synchronization ID that your desktop can get from it. If you have not, you can set the user name and ID on the pilot from your desktop.

Once you have done this step, the GNOME Pilot software will contact your PalmOS device and get or set the name and other information.

The last step is to choose a name to use when referring to the PalmOS device, and a directory on your desktop system where you will store backups and other data.

### Adding or Editing a Handheld Entry: The "Pilots" Tab

The Pilots tab lists the handheld devices you have configured. If you have not used the Pilot Settings tool before, you will not have any items in this list, and the tool will open a new window to walk you through the process of creating one. To add a new pilot, click Add. To edit an existing pilot entry, select it and click Edit.

When editing or creating an entry, you will be asked for five pieces of information:

User Name

- This is the name used on your Pilot. If your pilot already has a name configured, you can get it from the pilot by clicking the Get from Pilot button. You can also set it on the pilot by clicking the Set On Pilot button.

ID

- This is the user ID number from your pilot. You can get this value from the handheld by clicking the Get from Pilot button. You can also set it on the handheld by clicking the Set On Pilot button.

Pilot Name

- This is the name by which your handheld will be identified. For example, you could call it MyPilot, or Palm5, or Roger.

Local Basedir

- This is the directory where you will store information backed up from your handheld.

Sync Action

- This is the action that will be performed when you press the HotSync button on your cradle. If you set this option to Use conduit settings, then you can choose different actions depending on the type of data being handled. If you set it to anything else, all data will be handled the same way. For descriptions of the synchronization actions, see setup-conduits

### Adding or Editing an entry under the Device Settings Tab

The device settings tab controls the way your desktop system looks at your handheld as hardware. To add an entry to the list, click Add, or, to edit one, select it and click Edit.

For each entry you may choose:

Name

- This is a name used to display the device in a list. You may choose almost any name you find convenient.

Port

- Your handheld is represented to the computer as a special file in the `/dev` directory. The name of the file will vary from system to system. In many cases however, it will be `/dev/pilot`. Other possible values are `/dev/ttyS0` or `/dev/ttyS1` for serial cradles (under Windows, these would be referred to as COM ports), or items under `/dev/usb/`, for USB cradles.

  You will need to make sure that your user account has read, write, and execute permissions on this device. To add those permissions, become root with the `su` command and enter the command `chmod a+wrx /dev/ttyS0`. Substitute the name of the device you are setting.

  If you have not chosen the correct device, you will get an error message when you click OK.

Speed

- Select a number from the dropdown. The higher the number, the faster you are asking the system to transfer information. Normally, you should not change this; it is set, by default, for the fastest value that your connection type can provide. However, you may set it higher or lower if you wish. If you experience problems at high speeds, reducing the transfer speed sometimes helps.

Timeout

- Amount of time to try to connect to system, in seconds. If there is no communication between the desktop and the handheld for this many seconds, the system will give up trying.

Type

- Select the type of connection you have: Serial, USB, IrDA (infrared), or Network.

### Conduit Settings

A Conduit is a specialized program that channels data between your computer and your handheld. The gnome-pilot package includes several, and you can also install additional conduits such as those for Ximian Evolution.

Each configured handheld may have its own set of conduits and conduit settings.

If a conduit is disabled, that type of data will be ignored when you HotSync. If a conduit is enabled, its data will be synchronized according to its settings. To enable or disable a conduit, select it and click the Enable or Disable button on the right side of the list of conduits.

To edit the settings, select a conduit and click the Settings... button. Each conduit will have at least two settings: an Action to perform whenever you synchronize, and a One Time Action, performed only the next time you synchronize.

Not all conduits will have all of actions. The list of possible actions is:

Disabled

- Do nothing.

Synchronize

- Ensure that data is the same in both places, copying new data from the pilot to the desktop, and from the desktop to the computer.

Copy to pilot

- Copy all data from the desktop to the pilot. New data added on the pilot will not be copied back up to the desktop.

Copy from pilot

- Copy all data from the pilot to the desktop. New data added on the desktop will not be copied down to the pilot.

Other settings may be available as well, including Conduit Priority, which determines the order in which conduits will be used, and Sync Private Records, which determines whether to copy private information as well as public, or just the public data.

## The Pilot Applet

The GNOME Pilot panel applet sits in your panel until you are ready to synchronize your PalmOS device. If the pilot access daemon is running, the applet will appear in black and white. If it is not running, the applet will appear red and black. If the daemon is paused, the applet will be yellow and black.

Click once on the applet with the left mouse button to start the GNOME Pilot configuration tool.

Other actions for the applet are available in the right-click menu. They are:

Restore

- If your PalmOS device has lost all data, select this item to restore it from a backup you made earlier.

Pause Daemon

- Pause the GNOME Pilot daemon gpilotd. If the daemon is paused, this item will read Continute.

Restart

- Stop and restart the daemon.

Last Log

- Display the results of the last synchronization performed.

Preferences

- Click this item to select what happens when you click the applet, and whether to display notices in dialog boxes.

Help...

- Display this manual

About

- Information about the application and its authors.

Remove from Panel

- Remove the applet from the panel.

Move

- Move the applet with the mouse. To stop moving the applet, click once.