Andrew Bedno • AndrewBedno.com • Andrew@Bedno.com • 773-442-2386  
QEX document exchange utility for PalmPilot organizers.

INTRO

QEX is a Windows 95 document exchange utility for use with the QED editor for the PalmPilot. QEX allows users to easily exchange documents for editing between their desktop PC editor and their PalmPilot. QEX is optimized for simple and routine back and forth conversion of commonly used files.


INSTALLATION

1. Download to a temporary directory. Do not use the "Run from current location" download option available in some browsers.

2. Carefully read and respond to any OVERWRITE messages from the installer. The default action should always be correct. It recommends overwriting older file versions and keeping newer versions. If your are insecure, take a copy of your \windows\system and/or \winnt\system32 directories before installing.

3. You must RUN THE APPLICATION as instructed by the last step of the setup. This does not actually run QEX but rather runs another program which completes the setup by registering new PalmPilot related custom controls with your operating system.

4. The installer may prompt you to reboot, you do not need to. Check the "reboot later" and "run the application" boxes and click OK.

5. Run QEX from the new QEX folder under Start, Programs.

6. If you get a "DOX not correctly registered" or similar message, run "Register Controls" from the QEX folder under Start, Programs.

7. The install program may complain about installing on NT servers, but will work anyway if you click CONTINUE. The install reportedly works fine on NT workstations.

8. Remember QED is a text editor, appropriate for lists, source code, notes, HTML, bulk writing, etc. It cannot be used directly on "binary" proprietary format files such as Microsoft Word documents. See faq.htm#word for more info. Also see our PalmDocs product

9. To eliminate the occassional nag messages in QEX, QED owners simply enter your QED registration code in the "Reg:" field on QEX and click Save.




USAGE

PC FILE TO PILOT: Keep the PC file name simple, save as text (.txt) somewhere other than the Pilot user backup directory. In QEX click NEW, BROWSE for the PC file. A default title will be filled in for the Pilot; change it if desired, keep it simple. Make sure INSTALL is checked. Click the big CONVERT TO PILOT (down arrow) button. HotSync. To re-use this conversion later click SAVE.

PILOT DOCUMENT BACK TO PC:, HotSync (note that a document will only HotSync back to the PC if it has been edited on the organizer or manually marked for backup). If the conversion was previously saved: Run QEX and select the previously saved conversion, click the big CONVERT TO PC (up arrow) button. Otherwise, select the document using Browse on the Pilot title field. Use Browse on the PC file field to select the PC file. Click the big CONVERT TO PC (up arrow) button.

NEW PILOT DOCUMENT TO PC: Create a document on your organizer using QED. HotSync. Run QEX and select the new document using Browse on the Pilot title field. Next use Browse or manually specify a directory and name in the PC file field. This is where the PC document will be stored (such as C:\WP\TEST.TXT) and it should never be the Pilot desktop user backup directory. Click the big CONVERT TO PC (up arrow) button.

For multiple users it may be best to install multiple copies of QEX in separate directories (c:\Program Files\QEX1, c:\Program Files\QEX2, ...), so the users can have separate file lists.

For additional info, install QEX and read it's built-in help.


PROBLEMS

Despite tens of thousands of QEX users, problem reports are extremely rare. QEX has no known bugs. Problems with QEX are therefore presumed to be due to an otherwise corrupt system, incorrect installation of QEX, or peculiar incompatibility with some other program on the system.

The following general hints may be useful:

1. The computer must already have the Pilot desktop installed. In other words it must be capable of HotSyncing.

2. If a Pilot file does not appear in the Browse list on the Pilot file field, even after HotSyncing, your HotSync is probably misconfigured. Check the settings in the Pilot desktop program, on the HotSync/Custom menu. System conduit must be set to Handheld overwrites Desktop. Similar mis-configuration can also effect users of third-party backup or sync programs.

3. Be installing QEX on a standard Win9x machine. Does the machine already exhibit any peculiar behavior outside of QEX? Do you have some notably peculiar setup?

4. Redownload and reinstall QEX accepting all defaults. Accept whatever action the installer recommends on any DLL overwrite dialogs. They can be trusted.

5. Let QEX run it's "register controls" step, or run it later from the menu as stated in the instructions.

6. Use only a-z, 0-9, and spaces in file names, no punctuation. Spaces are automatically converted to underscores. The error message "The Pilot file does not exist" may occur if the Pilot title ends with a space. If you're having trouble, do not use any spaces or underscores in file names or titles.

7. When converting FROM Pilot to PC, use Browse to select the Pilot document but DO NOT change the directory. The Pilot file must be in the Pilot desktop user backup directory.

8. Run a thorough scandisk on your machine.

9. Run a thorough virus scan on your machine.

10. Install it on a different machine.

11. It is possible that QEX will never work on your system. See http://qland.de/qed/faq.htm#docprep for other DOC converter programs.

12. Forward the full text of any error dialog to us. Click Here to return to the QEX page.

HEY! Also check out these great products for the PalmPilot:

  QED
The original DOC editor/viewer. WordProcessing on your PalmPilot.
  PalmDocs
Word add-in to load/save PalmPilot DOCs.
Visionary 2000 Clear Flip Cover   Clear Flip Cover
Info at a glance, pocket perfect, includes software sampler and screen sheets!