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Question: How do I export data from an Appleworks database and then import that into the HanDBase Desktop?
Product: HanDBase Desktop MacArticle Number: 217Creation Date: 01/15/2003
Answer:
The following steps describe how to Export your Appleworks data to a file that can be imported into HanDBase.

  1. Open your Address Book. This is considered an Appleworks Database.
  2. From the File menu select Save As.
  3. On the Window that opens change the "File Format" to indicate ASCII Text. This option is located toward the lower left hand corner of this window.
  4. Then in the space where it has the "Name:" add to the end of whatever is there ".CSV", without the quotes.
  5. Make a note of which folder the file will be saved in, at the top. If you like you can change this to say Desktop to make the file easier to find.
  6. Click the Save button to save this file.

The file that will be created is considered a Tab Delimited File. This means that it is a Plain Text file with Tab characters separating each field.

When you have finished exporting the data you will then use the HanDBase Desktop for the Mac to import that data into a HanDBase database so you can use it on your handheld.

There are however some preliminary steps you will need to take to set up the HanDBase Desktop to import this properly. Following are these steps.

  1. Open the HanDBase Desktop 3.0 application.
  2. From the Edit menu at the top select Preferences.
  3. On this screen for the option that indicates "CSV Separator" change it to indicate "Tab" by selecting from the Drop Down list to the Right.
  4. To make future conversions easier then click the "Choose" button next to the indication of "Location of Palm Backup Folder".
  5. Navigate to where your Palm Backup folder is, refer to the Preferences section of the HanDBase Desktop Documentation for information on where this folder normally is, and select the Backup folder listed there and click Ok/Choose.
  6. Then to also make future conversions easier click the "Choose" button next to the indication of "Location of Palm Install Folder".
  7. You should be in the same folder you were where you found the Backup folder. Now click the "Files to Install" folder and click Ok/Choose.
  8. Click Ok to save these preferences.

You are now ready to import the file you previously saved into the HanDBase Desktop.

To import the Tab Delimited CSV file you created follow these steps.

  1. Open the HanDBase Desktop 3.0 application.
  2. Click on the "Desktop to Palm" tab.
  3. In the File Information section click the "Choose" button.
  4. Now navigate to the folder where you previously saved that CSV file, during the Exporting steps. If you saved it to the Desktop navigate there.
  5. Select that CSV file from the list displayed in the center and click
  6. Uncheck the item in the "Options" section that indicates "Input CSV file has field names as first line of file". This is not the case with the Appleworks file you saved. This will mean that after you have this installed to your Handheld that you will have to go into the DB Properties for the database and change the field names to be appropriate.
  7. In the Options section below enter the name you want this database to have on your handheld device. This name must be 19 characters or less.
  8. Make sure that the "Create All Fields as Text fields" option is selected.
  9. Click the "Make PDB" button.
  10. Since you set up the option for the Files to Install in the Preferences this file has been automatically saved there so all you need to do now is HotSync to install the file to your handheld.
  11. Once on your handheld then open the HanDBase application.
  12. If you are NOT on the Main Screen where you would choose a database, where you see the Beam and Tools buttons at the bottom, tap the Home button.
  13. Select your new Database and click the Details button in the lower right hand corner.
  14. Tap the Fields button.
  15. Now go through each field and select them to change the Field Names to be appropriate.
  16. When finished click Ok, and then Ok to exit the Properties.
  17. Synchronize to Backup this modified file to your computer.

You are now done with the setup and are at the point where you can begin editing and adding records into HanDBase on the handheld.


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