[Bitpim-devel] Phonebook

Roger Binns

2004-01-15 21:37:08 UTC

Post by Franklini
1.. Set the phone numbers to display in the '(xxx) xxx-xxxx' or
'xxx-xxx-xxxx' format instead of the 'xxxxxxxxxx' format. I have used
Bitpim several times to look up a phone number and had a hard time reading
the number. Perhaps a preference selection would avoid debate about which
format is in fact the best one to go with. Just noticed this but I have
'*71xxxxxxxxxx' as one of my number entries for home, as it is the number to
forward my calls to home-- need to be able to set your own format on
specific entries. I also have an entry for a pager system that is
'xxxxxxxxxx#xxxxxxx'.

I really want to avoid to getting into reformatting numbers. I come from a
country where the area codes and the numbers are variable length. Then there
are issues like people having international numbers in there, including or
not including leading '1' etc.

What does happen is that formatting is not lost. If a number is imported
(eg read form the phone or CSV) and matches the existing number after
punctuation is stripped, then the existing number and formatting is kept.

Post by Franklini
2.. Make the fonts on both sides of the phonebook (the list and preview
pane) able to be set to the user's preferences. Older people tend to need
larger fonts, whereas younger people do not necessarily need larger fonts.

Please submit a SourceForge feature request for this. The stuff on the right
is my choice and code. The left is just the defaults, and may be harder to
fix. I did hope that it was using the default size for the platform, but
that didn't turn out to be the case.

Post by Franklini
3.. Is there a way to turn off the individual entry preview on the right
side? Perhaps, a "View" menu option that is "Preview pane".

Just move the splitter all the way to the right. You can't get the preview
back again without restarting BitPim though :-) Please enter this one as
a bug in the tracker.

Post by Franklini
4.. Within the "View" menu option "Columns...", is there a way to put in
the "SpeedDial" number as a column option. This way you could sort by the
"SpeedDial" numbers and set them into the proper sequence.

I can. SF feature request.

Post by Franklini
5.. Provide error checking for "SpeedDial" so that there cannot be
duplicate numbers. I haven't tried loading the phone with duplicate
SpeedDial numbers from Bitpim, but have been able to program Bitpim to have
duplicate SpeedDial numbers.

SpeedDials only work with the Sanyo phones anyway. The 4400/6000 have a
somewhat obfuscated format for them which I didn't figure out in the few
minutes I tried. (They are stored in a file on the phone, not as part
of the phonebook).

But yes, SpeedDial handling does need to be improved. SF feature request
please.

Post by Franklini
6.. Make the "Import CSV file" dialog box able to be resized (the
maximize/restore button).

It is resizable. Just drag the edges. I have also just added the maximize/restore
button.

Post by Franklini
7.. I encountered an error importing the attached file (Contacts.CSV).
The Exception dialog is also attached ("Import Exception.txt"). Will you be
able to view these attachments from a lists posting?

Yes. I hadn't done the code for the Private field. I will add that today.

Post by Franklini
8.. Can you select which names you want to import from a CSV (or other)
file and which ones you don't?

You can restrict to only rows with a name, email etc following those four
tickboxes. At some point I will also add a category listing so you can
also restrict by category.

Post by Franklini
9.. How are entries with the same name handled when importing CSV's?

By magic :-) The dialog that appears after the import one is where entries
are reconciled. Note that plenty of code still needs to be written there.
It will be very much like reconciling in Quicken/MS Money. An imported
entry can match an existing entry, or it could be a new entry.

The code makes its initial best guess. You will then be able to fine
tune it in that dialog.

Post by Franklini
10.. Perhaps the "Full" field on the "Names" tab in the "Edit PhoneBook
entry" dialog box should be labeled "Display Name" as it is the field that
is displayed within the phone.

Which model of phone :-)

Post by Franklini
11.. The "Add" and "Delete" buttons are active on the "Names" tab of the
"Edit PhoneBook entry" dialog box, what is this for?

Try them :-) The model being followed is that each entry can have any number
of names, numbers, addresses etc. They are all in a priority order (hence
up and down buttons). When being sent to phones or other PIMs then subsets
are taken (eg for the VX4400 we take the first five phone numbers, for OE
we take the first business number and the first home number).

Post by Franklini
12.. The "Up" and "Down" buttons of the "Edit PhoneBook entry" dialog box
are also active when there is only one entry. Perhaps these buttons could
be used to move to the next or previous PhoneBook entry when on the "Names"
tab of the "Edit PhoneBook entry" dialog box. If not with the "Up" and
"Down" buttons, this feature to jump to the next or previous PhoneBook entry
would be helpful.

See previous comment.

I do intend to update the online help to explain it all.

Post by Franklini
13.. Perhaps a way to select between different phonebooks. Some people
need access to large numbers of people, but only have x number phonebook
entries (mine is 200). Persons like CEO's and political organizers. People
like this need large lists of people one day and not the next, but may again
need them in two weeks when in that town or state again. This way the user
could have phonebooks they could upload according to their specific needs at
that time. This would also be a great idea (in a later version) with the
calendar as one could import all of the different possible activities within
a city.

I intend to add filters by category. That way you can make a category for
stuff you want on your phone. There is also the danger of feature creep
here. I don't really want BitPim to be an all purpose PIM - but rather
specifically geared towards phones.

Post by Franklini
14.. Is there a way to have Bitpim resize columns to the largest entries
width? Microsoft does this with double clicking on resize divider.

It is automatically done on every import, as well as edit/add of an entry.

Post by Franklini
15.. Can you edit multiple entries at once? For instance, change all of
the selected entries to one specific category.

Mmmm. Add that as a SF feature request. That will actually be quite hard
to implement.

Post by Franklini
16.. Being able to also edit information in the list instead of just from
the "Edit PhoneBook entry" dialog box would be helpful.

I knew that would happen! It is a good UI design principle that where you
display information you should allow it to be editted. Unfortunately the
grid widget I use is very dumb and annoying (I am not too far from writing
my own by really don't want to). You could see all the problems in BP 0.6
with it. Add it as a SF feature request, but don't expect anything soon
(unless they seriously improve it for wxWindows 2.5).

Post by Franklini
17.. Perhaps a possible column for memory entry number. The order in
which the names were entered may remind someone of when they met certain
people.

Sounds of dubious utility to me. Feel free to add it as a SF feature
request of very low priority unless there is a better example of using
it.

Post by Franklini
18.. Columns for first name, last name, middle name, display name and
nickname instead of just the one name column.

I first need to implement some code that can turn a full name into those.
See the Don Juan De Marco posts on the weekend in this list.

Post by Franklini
19.. The ability to turn on gridlines instead of just a ledger-style line
separation. Consequently, also the ability to turn of the ledger-style
color scheme.

Why?

Post by Franklini
20.. How about double clicking within the preview pane to open the "Edit
PhoneBook entry" dialog box?

I will add that today.

Roger