A PDA Toolbox developer tool, this package contains an Visual Basic 6.0 ActiveX control for reading and writing PDA Toolbox 1.1 through 6.x  database files produced on a Palm OS Device by the PDA Toolbox Application Generator.  For the experienced Visual Basic programmer, this can be useful to create desktop applications for Microsoft Windows(tm) that compliment your Palm OS offering.   A support forum is at www.PDAToolbox.org (formerly PDAT Nuts & Bolts) and of course email.

Uses for this database server:

• This can be useful to create desktop applications for Microsoft Windows(tm) that compliment your Palm OS offering.  This can, in effect, be used to encourage registrations by allowing the user to download and use the Palm OS application and when the user registers your application, have delivered the desktop version.
• Write desktop database conversion programs, say, from the Palm PDB format to Comma Delimited Values (CSV), Microsoft Office formats, and other formats.
• Upgrade your users' databases from one version of your program to another.  This is referred to as restructuring the database.

In addition to reading and writing databases, it also provides Palm system information such as HotSync User Lists and folder locations of key Palm folders.

This Microsoft Visual Basic ActiveX Control provides these basic functions: 

• Reads a PDA Toolbox database
• Writes (and Creates) a PDA Toolbox database
• Sorts a PDA Toolbox database
• Utility Functions for locating and installing PDA Toolbox databases
• Support for Private Eye Library encrypted databases.

For reading and writing databases, it provides an "in-memory" database that supports text, data, time, and "digital ink" database fields in a single-user environment.

Once you have read (or "opened") the database into memory, you can add and delete records, and restructure the fields.  This tool enables you to perform other functions such as merging, exporting, or sorting databases.

You may read as many databases as you want.  Each database will have its own database "handle".

In addition, the ActiveX control itself will provide you with a list of HotSync Users, the Last Hotsync Username, and the locations of the Palm folder and Palm Installer utility.  This allows you to easily locate your database in the user's backup folder, manipulate it, and install it back onto the Palm device.

Related, you can read and write Palm OS formatted DOC files using the freeware DocReader ActiveX control.