How-To: Adding to Clie MS

[sUnShInE]

I LOVE your method, I must say.

I have been playing around with it today and having fun. The only problem I'm having is getting links onto my MS. I have a Clie T615 and thought I followed your directions pretty well, but it doesn't seem to work.

I downloaded the VFS file and edited the file to hotsync to my name... and here's where I'm having the trouble. Unlike the standard system of 'convert to .prc or .pdb files, and route to isilox_converter' they're not showing up anywhere... and when I synced they weren't on my MS either.

Um, am I an ##### or am I missing something serious? I made sure that the destination was 'sUnShInE' and that they were going to 'external MS'.

Help!

Thanks for all your hard work with this project and most of all for helping idiots like me. This is the best thing for Clie's that I've seen in a while!

[Alexander Turcic]

Thanks for the nice words Just wait for the next update, which I hope to bring out by next weekend (after my GMAT test) - it'll include more than 250 new channels. I only wish people would get more involved here, and say what they think or what they would like to see improved... or maybe I am just too impatient. Or maybe everything is just as perfect as it can be

To your problem:
First check:
You edited the VFS file to fit your hotsync name. After that, does iSiloX say in the Destination column "<yourhotsyncname> (External memory card)"?

Second check:
Convert a channel. Then browse to the directory where your palm desktop is located and find the iSilo install-directory (mine is at C:Program FilesSony HandheldAlex(=myhotsyncname)iSiloI. Is your converted pdb file there?

Third check:
Press with the right mouse button on the hotsync icon in your tasktray. Choose Custom. Can you see the conduit "iSilo Install"? It should be there. Highlight it and click on Change. Does it say "Install files to external media of handheld"?

Fourth check:
Do a hotsync now. Can you see a message popping up that your Channel is being installed?

Tell me where something goes wrong and we might figure out your problem.

Cheers, Alex

[sUnShInE]

Jeez. I am a ##### (btw, sorry if I swore, I didn't realize it).

I also didn't realize that there was an iSilol directory created for install. Problem solved! Thanks!


Couple of ideas/suggestions:

Maybe you should put this tidbit in your instructions? That's where I looked and had the problem....


As a news junkie, I've been looking to expand my eNews sources. I use AvantGo, but like you said in your intro, I don't want to cough up change for something that doesn't even support Hi-Res. I am thoroughly disgusted with Handstory (long story); and MobiPocket, while just ok, took too long and didn't work half the time. They seem to just want to sell books and have eNews as a sideline to draw people in...no thanks.

Automating the process: I think I read somewhere (ClieSource?) that you can do this by working with Windows Calendar. That would make it really easy for people. Do you know how to do it?

So speaking of CS, I'm off to sing your praises there now. * *The folks that use that board are hardcore users and many of them use iSilo. There have been numerous discussions of how to solve this "channel" issue, but I don't think many people know what good stuff you got going here!


250 new channels? I can't wait! Good luck on your exam and thanks again!!

[Alexander Turcic]

Glad you could solve your problem. Thanks for your great commitment on CS Thanks also for the suggestion; I will update the web site after next friday including the instruction part.

I haven't really thought of an automation process for converting iSilo channels. I will send an email to the iSilo author since several people have already asked for that indeed useful feature. The guy is usually very responsive to user suggestions. In the meantime, maybe you find out some way using an external tool for that? That would make a lot of people, including myself, very happy!

Alex

[sUnShInE]

Someone on CS mentioned an update process using Windows Scheduler (not 'Calendar'... ). It strikes me that there should be a way through that to have it automatically run your channel conversions at certain times...

I'm not a developer, just a meager user. So I can offer ideas of how I want/would like things to work, that's about it. I'm happy to help out if it can improve things ... even if it's just to offer moral support or get others involved.

Again, thanks for your hard work and help.

[Alexander Turcic]

Heh, I will have a look at the windows scheduler next weekend &nbsp;

[vmax]

I automatically update my iSilo 'channels' twice a day with the folowing command in the window scheduler using iSiloXC. &nbsp;If u r in XP you can find the scheduler in the control panel, your computer has to be on and connected off-course, you could also add this command to the startup folder or a shortcut on your desktop for easy access without having to open iSilo.

<path>iSiloXC.exe -x <isilo.ixl> -u -q

To find iSiloXC (C for Command line) go to:
iSiloXC
There is a version for Windows, Linus, FreeBSD, Mac OS X and Solaris

Good luck ,

Hm

[sUnShInE]

That sounds like da plan. I had a couple of problems setting it up though.

1.) The exe wouldn't open, so I tried editing it through the MS-DOS prompt (haven't done that in years), but I have no idea if it actually worked. Scheduler launched, but it didn't seem to do the update... so,

2.) Do you have to have the .ixl in the same directory as iSiloXC?

Thanks for your help!

[vmax]

the exe does not open, it is a dos program (command line)
You will normaly see a dosbox pop up though.
The ixl does not have to be in the same directory:
For example:
iSiloXC.exe -x "C:my documentsisilowebpages.ixl" -u -q

You do have to put iSiloXC.exe in the directory of the iSiloX.exe see the iSiloXC readme.txt included in the zip:
<!--QuoteBegin--><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->
Notes on iSiloXC for Windows
----------------------------
Assuming you have installed iSiloX, it is best to place
iSiloXC.exe in the same directory so that it has HotSync&reg;
functionality. &nbsp;Without the supporting files included in
the installation of iSiloX, iSiloXC can not queue converted
documents for installation during HotSync&reg;.
[/b][/quote]

[sUnShInE]

Hmmm...

Well either your instructions aren't altogether clear or I'm an #####. While the latter might be true, I would really benefit (as might others), if you could write them out step-by-step. Woodja huh? Woodja?

Somehow I'm just not getting it. &nbsp;

Thanks either way.

[sUnShInE]

For anyone who cares or can use the info....

I just futtzed around with this (if I may use "futtz" in a sentence, thanks) and got it to work. The clearly missing piece came from the iSiloXC manual, posted below. I will admit to being a slacker and not reading the manual until something doesn't work right. Now it's just a matter of figuring out what a good schedule for me to do this is If there's a better scheduling program out there for Windows, I'd love to know about it!




If you use a scheduler to schedule iSiloXC, you may want to have iSiloXC update the last conversion status. Under Windows, you might provide to the Windows scheduler a command line similar to the following:

"C:\Program Files\iSilo\iSiloX\iSiloXC.exe" -x "C:\My Documents\iSilo\WWW.ixl" -u

The double quotes around the path to the executable and the path to the conversion list file are necessary because both paths have spaces.

[vmax]

Glad to see you got it working

[saw9000]

I guess I'm just having more problems than most. &nbsp;I've managed to get through all four checks and still have problems getting iSilo channels to load to my MemStick. &nbsp;I have the destination set correctly, to the card for my HotSync name. &nbsp;When I convert the channels, they show up in the proper directory. &nbsp;When I look at the iSilo conduit setting, it is set to allow me to sync media files to the card. &nbsp;However, when I HotSync, my files do not get transferred. &nbsp;
Any ideas? &nbsp;
Scott

[yasirrebob]

I have played around with this before and what I found to be helpful is to create and save the .ixl file in the GUI and then call it using IsiloXC. &nbsp;

This way you can check to see that it works using the GUI, your files will hot sync and all that good stuff and then schedule it using the windows scheduler.

Another way that I used to do this is to use Teleport Pro to grab the pages to the HD and convert them from there. &nbsp;What ever it took to regularly get Wired News on my palm top.

[Gren]

Originally posted by saw9000@Nov 25 2002, 09:02 PM
I guess I'm just having more problems than most. I've managed to get through all four checks and still have problems getting iSilo channels to load to my MemStick. I have the destination set correctly, to the card for my HotSync name. When I convert the channels, they show up in the proper directory. When I look at the iSilo conduit setting, it is set to allow me to sync media files to the card. However, when I HotSync, my files do not get transferred. Any ideas? _
Scott

I'm having exactly the same problem - have just started on this today after using Avantgo for a few months. I think my problem is that I have iSilo on my card (Memory Stick). Hotsync conduits don;t work if there is no program to activate them on the PDA. If the program is on the card then Hotsync doesn't see them as far as I know.

Does anyone know if you can run iSilo off you card and still auto Hotsync?

Gren