Someday this will be replaced by a real manual, or at least a chapter in the Leverage Reference Manual. LevLink -- a communications application for transferring data between Macintosh computers and Leverage, Balcones Software's database for Newton devices such as the Apple MessagePad. More information on most of these procedures can be found in the Leverage Reference Manual. One special note about LevLink: it does not use the file transfer tool. We found a particular dataset that caused the text tool to hang (other communications apps that used the Communications Toolbox exhibited the same behavior), so transfers are handled by brute force. If Leverage ever supports protocol transfers we will no doubt return to at least allowing the use of the transfer tool. In the meantime, even though the Session menu under Configuration includes a place for configuring the file transfer tool, don't bother using it. IMPORTING INTO LEVERAGE (i.e., transferring data from a Mac to Leverage) ------------------------ Data Format: ----------- data must be a tab or comma separated text file (set "field separator" in Leverage's preferences or in the import dialog if available to agree with the file). The first line must be a list of field names. Subsequent lines are lines of data, one for each record. For example: company->contact->phone Balcones Software->John R. Miller->512/353-7289 Nielsen Motors->Axel Paulsen->407/555-1212 where the sequence -> is intended to represent a tab. Most databases or spreadsheets will save in tab separated format if instructed to save as text, but not all will include the first line identifying the field names. Nevertheless, this line must be present. Most databases >will< include such a line if the file is saved in "merge" format. This is normally comma separated, something like: "company","contact","phone" "Balcones Software","John R. Miller","512/353-7289" "Nielsen Motors","Axel Paulsen","407/555-1212" Use whichever is more convenient, however, tab separated has probably been tested more thoroughly. In Leverage: ---------- Choose "Import database" from the action button. Choose the appropriate connection type (probably Serial or LocalTalk) Tap the Connect button If you chose LocalTalk, Leverage will look for servers (i.e., programs to send data to it) If you chose Serial, Leverage will indicate it is connected On the Mac: ---------- Start LevLink Create a session (either "New Session" from the File menu or "Create" from the Session menu) Choose "Configure/Connection" from the Session menu Select the appropriate connection method, AppleTalk ADSP Tool for a LocalTalk connection, Serial for a serial connection If you chose ADSP: - you may want to change the local name. This is what will appear in the server list on the Newton. - Click OK when the configuration is correct - choose "Lurk" from the Session menu. This tells LevLink to wait, looking for incoming connections and making itself available as a server. If you chose Serial: - make the baud rate 9600 (or make it agree with the baud rate you have chosen in Leverage) and make the handshaking XON/XOFF (the other stuff is 8/none/1, but it will probably already be correct) - Click OK when the configuration is correct - choose "Open" from the Session menu. In Leverage: ---------- If you chose LocalTalk, the name you chose for "local name" above when configuring the connection will appear in the list of servers. Choose it and tap the connect button. If you chose Serial there is nothing to do in Leverage at this point. On the Mac: ---------- Choose "Send File" from the Session menu. Choose the file to send when the standard file dialog appears. In Leverage: ---------- Leverage indicates its progress as it is importing data. If there is no line indicating the database name in the file Leverage will ask you to name the database. It will probably also ask what types to assign to the fields. These can usually be left as string and changed later, but if the database is large it will save time to make the types correct when it is first imported. When all the records have been imported (as indicate by the number in the status panel in the Leverage import dialog) simply close the import dialog. EXPORTING FROM LEVERAGE (i.e., transferring data from Leverage on the Newton to a Mac) ------------------------ As discussed above in the import section, you can export either tab separated or comma separated text. If your target application accepts both, it is probably prudent to choose tab separated. When exporting from Leverage you have the additional consideration of whether to include supporting information (i.e., detailed field definitions as well as table, query, and view definitions). Generally, if you're planning on re-importing the data back into Leverage, you should probably include supporting information. If you're exporting data from Leverage for import into a desktop database, it's unlikely the desktop database would understand the supporting information, so you probably shouldn't include supporting information in that case. See the Chapter 13 and the appendix in the reference manual for more details on supporting information. Notwithstanding the previous paragraph, LocalTalk export should currently only be attempted without supporting information. In Leverage: ---------- Choose "Export database" from the action button. Choose whether to include supporting information. Choose the appropriate connection type (probably Serial or LocalTalk) Tap the Connect button If you chose LocalTalk, Leverage will look for servers (i.e., programs to send data to) If you chose Serial, Leverage will indicate it is connected On the Mac: ---------- Start LevLink Create a session (either "New Session" from the File menu or "Create" from the Session menu) Choose "Configure/Connection" from the Session menu Select the appropriate connection method, AppleTalk ADSP Tool for a LocalTalk connection, Serial for a serial connection If you chose ADSP: - you may want to change the local name. This is what will appear in the server list on the Newton. - Click OK when the configuration is correct - choose "Lurk" from the Session menu. This tells LevLink to wait, looking for incoming connections and making itself available as a server. If you chose Serial: - make the baud rate 9600 (or make it agree with the baud rate you have chosen in Leverage) and make the handshaking XON/XOFF (the other stuff is 8/none/1, but it will probably already be correct) - Click OK when the configuration is correct - choose "Open" from the Session menu. In Leverage: ---------- If you chose LocalTalk, the name you chose for "local name" above when configuring the connection will appear in the list of servers. Choose it and tap the connect button. If you chose Serial there is nothing to do in Leverage at this point. On the Mac: ---------- Choose "Capture to file" from the Session menu. Name the file to save incoming data in when the standard file dialog appears. If you name an existing file and confirm that you want to replace it, the old file will be erased and a new, empty file created. In Leverage: ---------- The Connect button should have changed to read Send. Tap this button and Leverage will start sending exporting data. The Send button remains highlighted and Leverage indicates its progress as it is exporting. When all the records have been exported (indicated when the Send button is no longer highlighted) you can switch to another database (without closing the export database dialog) and send its data. If you are through, simply close the export dialog. On the Mac: ---------- Choose "Capture to file" from the Session menu again (menu choice should change to something like "End capture", but it doesn't yet.) The text file you captured the data into is now ready for import by a Mac database.