Wireless transmission to vfp

[alan232]

Hi All;

Since most of my posts to this forum get moved (or deleted), I won't go into to much depth. So in a nutshell, I'm having difficulty getting these items to work 100% of the time--they seem to pick and chose which records to update on the vfp server...
1. vfp 6.0 written to poll files used by mEnable
2. vfp sql interface with mEnable (a syware product)
3. HP IPAQ handheld in 802.11b wireless mode.

The sequence that fails about 20% of the time is:
user changes an existing record on the IPAQ--->
mEnable is called to sync this file with the server-->
server file is checked for record change--but it
never recieves the changed record.

Part of the problem is that the system DOES work about 80% of the time, but it seems upredictable when it doesn't work. And apparently, mEnable on the handheld ASSUMES the record IS recieved on the server, so trying to sync the files again is uselss since it apparently cleared whaterver flags it used on the first attempt.

I really need 100% accuracy 100% of the time. I'd sure appreciate any help any body can give me!

Thanks in advance,
alan

 

[DSummZZZ]

I'm not familiar with IPAQ functionality or mEnable, but I'm thinking it probably behaves similarly in functionality ta a CE device, which I have worked with.
Which, I don't think I would rely on for flawless synch of anything, unless I was absolutely sure of the inner workings of the synch process.
Instead, I would transfer files and verify each record in my application.

How do you flag records on the portable device as having been updated? Or rather, how does mEnable know there are modified record?



-Dave Summers-

Even more Fox stuff at:

http://www.davesummers.net/foxprolinks.htm

 

[alan232]

Hi Dave:

Good to hear from you.

The HP IPAQ 4705, which I'm using, uses Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition Version 4.21.1008 (Build 14132) on an Intel PXA270 processor--essentially windows ce.

As to how does the pda flag a running program of data update, excellent question that I wish very much to know the answer.

But here is my experience, using (syware) visual ce. If I program the pda using visual ce to 'check/mark' a record, (a checkbox) directly in the record data field, mEnable (their wireless controller program) usually (about 80%) of the time will pick up the record change and correctly update the table on the server. However, if I use a programmed macro that writes to the record WITHOUT ME USING THE PDA INTERFACE, mEnable never sees the change. Furthermore, once mEnable has 'synced' with the server, it does not see changes anymore--hence, even if the server did not recieve the data, the handheld thinks it did, so trying again fails. So my presumptive conclusion is that there is something about physically writing on the pda which sets some kind of internal flag (within the operating system I'm guessing) that mEnable is then picking up--but just changing the record WITHOUT physically writing on the pda screen, does NOT set whatever flag is needed--so menable never sees it.

My intent is to use the PDA in real-time as I wander from room to room, so I can't think of any other way to transfer files between the windows xp machine and the PDA..

Suggestions are welcome/needed
Sincerely,
Alan

 

[DSummZZZ]

Well, my only experience has been with writing flat text files using a Visual C app on the handheld.
These files I transfer (batch job) and import into VFP tables and twiddle with them after the fact.
Which, you could probably do on a record by record basis if you had a VFP server polling the device regularly.

But at this point, it sounds more like you need to work with the folks who made mEnable. It's pretty much out of the realm of VFP.


-Dave Summers-

Even more Fox stuff at:

http://www.davesummers.net/foxprolinks.htm