NAME
progconv - convert between .txt, .csv and Palm Progect's PDB format.
SYNOPSIS
Export from a .pdb database to a text representation:
perl progconv lbPG-MyProgect.pdb MyProgect.txt
Convert a text tree back into a database:
perl progconv MyProgect.txt lbPG-MyProgect.pdb
You can convert to/from CSV files:
perl progconv lbPG-MyProgect.pdb MyProgect.csv
perl progconv MyProgect.csv MyProgect.txt
perl progconv MyProgect.csv lbPG-MyProgect.pdb
You can convert between various Progect database versions:
perl progconv --output-format=23 MyOldProgect.pdb MyNewProgect.pdb
DESCRIPTION
"progconv" is a program you run on your desktop computer to allow you to
import to and export from Palm Progect database files.
For its text format, it uses a layout very similar to the one used by
Progect's own built-in converter:
[x] Level 1 Todo item
[10%] Child (progress)
. Child of Child (informational)
[80%] (31/12/2001) Progress item
[ ] Unticked action item
Almost all of Progect's fields are supported using this format,
including categories, ToDo links and notes.
See below under "PROGCONV TEXT FORMAT"
For its CSV format it uses a simple table of records, with indent level
being one of the fields. See below under "PROGCONV CSV FORMAT".
This program was written on Linux (Redhat 7.1). It was tested on Windows
98 with perl 5.005 and perl 5.6.1, and on Linux (Redhat 7.1) with perl
5.6.0 and perl 5.6.1.
OPTIONS
General Options
--quiet
Suppress informational messages
Conversion Options
--input-format=auto|pdb|text|csv
The format "progconv" should import from. Either "auto", "pdb",
"text", or "csv".
When "auto" is selected, then "progconv" will guess the file's type
based on its extension.
The default is "auto".
--output-format=auto|pdb|text|csv
The format "progconv" should export to. Either "auto", "pdb",
"text", or "csv".
When "auto" is selected, then "progconv" will guess the file's type
based on its extension.
The default is "auto".
--input-version=n
Ignore the version number stored in the source database, and import
it as version "n".
Currently supported versions are 18 (for Progect database version
0.18) and 23 (for Progect database version 0.23).
Progect database version 0.18 was used all the way up until Progect
version 0.22, so if you saved a database with Progect 0.22, the
database will be a version 0.18 database.
--output-version=n
Write the output database in version "n".
Currently supported versions are 18 (for Progect database version
0.18) and 23 (for Progect database version 0.23).
Progect database version 0.18 was used all the way up until Progect
version 0.22, so if you saved a database with Progect 0.22, the
database will be a version 0.18 database.
Text Conversion Options
--tabstop=n
Treat tabs as n columns wide (default is 8)
--use-spaces
By default, "progconv" uses tabs to indent records. With this
"--use-spaces" option, it will use spaces instead, using "--tabstop"
spaces per indent level.
--date-format
The input and output format for dates. You can have any text here so
long as it includes some combination of dd, mm, yy, yyyy. Using
words for months at this point is NOT supported.
The default is yyyy/mm/dd, so nobody can accuse me of being Y2K
non-complient. If you want to use dd/mm/yy (which is how the Progect
program itself seems to currently export things on my Palm), then
you can use:
--date-format=dd/mm/yy
--columns=n
For multiline descriptions and notes, progect will wrap text to fit
the screen. Use this option to tell how wide the screen is. The
default is 80. To disable wrapping, use "--columns=0"
CSV Conversion Options
--csv-sep=c
Use character "c" as the csv separator (defaults to ";")
--csv-eol-pc
Use "\r\n" as the csv line terminator (the default)
--csv-eol-unix
Use "\n" as the csv line terminator
--csv-eol-mac
Use "\r" the csv line terminator
--csv-quote-char=c
Use character "c" as the csv quote char (defaults to """)
--csv-date-format
The input and output format for dates in csv files. See
--date-format
PROGCONV TEXT FORMAT
Here is a summary of the various types of records:
[ ] action type
[x] completed action type
< > action type with todo link
<x> completed action type with todo link
[80%] progress type
[4/5] numeric type
. info type
[ ] [5] action type with priority
[ ] (15/7/2001) action type with date
[80%] [5] (15/7/2001) {category} progress type with priority and date and category
[80%] [5] (15/7/2001) {category} progress type with priority and date and category <<
Multi-Line note
for this item
>>
PROGCONV CSV FORMAT
The CSV format allows for basic import/export with spreadsheet programs.
The CSV file does not look like a tree structure; instead, there is a
"level" column, which indicates the indent level for the current row.
The columns in the format are:
level
The indent level of the record.
description
priority
The priority of the record from 1 to 5, or 0 for no priority.
isAction
isProgress
isNumeric
isInfo
Any record can have one (and only one) of the above types.
If you are going to change the type of a record, remember to set all
the other types to false:
isAction isProgress isNumeric isInfo
0 0 0 1
completed
Completed has different values depending upon the type of record.
For action items, it is either 1 or 0, for complete or not complete.
For Progress items, it is a number between 1 and 100, indicating a
percentage.
For Numeric items it is a number between 1 and 100 indicating the
the integer percentage of the "numericActual" value divided by the
"numericLimit" value.
numericActual
The numerator of a numeric record. If the numeric value of a record
is "4/5", then the "numericActual" value is 4.
numericLimit
The denominator of a numeric record. If the numeric value of a
record is "4/5", then the "numericLimit" value is 5.
DateDue
This is a date in the format specified on the command line with the
"--csv-date-format" option
category
opened
description
note
Additionally, see the --csv-sep, --csv-eol-pc, --csv-eol-unix,
--csv-eol-mac and --csv-quote-char options.
BUGS and CAVEATS
Categories
"progconv" reads and writes categories properly from and to Progect
"PDB" files. As of version 0.25, Progect itself can read these
categories properly. (However version 0.25 has problems with preferences
- see below)
Versions of Progect earlier than 0.25 may have problems reading the
categories as saved by "progconv".
This is due to the fact that "progconv" does not write the preferences
block correctly.
As a result, when you load into an older version of Progect a database
that you created with "progconv", You will get a warning that "Your
preferences have been deleted".
Progect will then reset the category list.
However, all of the records will still keep their references to the
deleted categories.
So, if you select "Edit Categories..." and recreate the categories in
the exact same order as they were before, the records will magically
return to their proper categories.
Again, these steps are only required when you are using a version of
Progect that is older than version 0.25.
Preferences
Preferences are not handled properly yet. They cannot be imported or
exported, and they are not read from the Progect database file.
Additionally, in Progect version 0.23 and earlier, when you load a
database created by "progconv" into Progect, you will get a warning that
"Your preferences have been deleted". The preferences for the database
will be reset to sensible defaults.
In Progect version 0.25, you will not get this warning.
Two-digit Dates
Using a two digit date format will fail for dates before 1950 or after
2049 :).
AUTHOR
Michael Graham <mag-perl@occamstoothbrush.com>
Copyright (C) 2001 Michael Graham. All rights reserved. This program is
free software. You can use, modify, and distribute it under the same
terms as Perl itself.
The latest version of this program can be found on
http://www.occamstoothbrush.com/perl/
SEE ALSO
http://progect.sourceforge.net/
Palm::Progect
Palm::Progect::Converter::Text
Palm::Progect::Converter::CSV
Palm::PDB
Text::CSV_XS