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Q) What is Portable Forms? |
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A) Portable Forms is an internet application that allows non-programmers to quickly create data collection and information capture systems for mobile handheld computers. If you can type in an editor like Microsoft Word and use a browser then you have the skills necessary to be effective at Portable Forms. |
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Q) Can Portable Forms run without an Internet connection? |
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A) No. Portable Forms' power comes from leveraging the communications capabilities of the Internet and delivering it down to mobile devices. No completely standalone versions are available. |
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Q) What hardware do I need to run Portable Forms? |
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A) In your office you need to be operating a personal computer which can prepare Rich Text Format (rtf) documents and connects with a browser to the Internet. RTF's are supported by all major word processors including Word, Word Perfect, Star Office and others. For information about supported handheld computers see below. |
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Q) Can I run Portable Forms on Apple MacIntosh computers? |
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A) Macs can be used to create and manage forms. At this time communications batch communications between the personal computer and handheld computer is not supported on MacIntosh platforms. |
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Q) What handheld devices are supported by Portable Forms? |
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A) In general Portable Forms Client will run on just about any Palm OS or Pocket PC device available. Our wireless browser optimized pages will also run effectively on any wirelessly connected device that supports HTML browsing. For more details look at the Portable Forms Device Compatibility document. |
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Q) Everything seems to work on my Portable Forms Client but when I tap
on a data entry field nothing happens. |
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A) You probable have the wrong version of Portable Forms Client for your device's Operating System.
Please see the Getting Started/Download page for instructions on determining your OS. |
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2. Portable Forms Template Documents |
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Q) How do I create a document that is used by Portable Forms? |
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A) Click this link to see an example of how to set up template documents. Portable Forms Document example. Hit the back button to then return to these FAQ's. Also you should refer to the Portable Forms Users Guide for more information. |
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Q) Can I use the field objects available in Microsoft Word instead of defining my variable inside of square brackets [ ] with Portable Forms? |
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A) At this time Portable Forms does not support this functionality. |
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Q) Can I use .doc or .pdf file types to create Portable Forms templates? |
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A) At this time we only support Rich Text Forms *.rtf, HTML *.htm or Ascii Text *.txt files for template. Other files types will be supported in the future. |
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Q) Does Portable Forms support non-latin characters in my documents? |
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A) These characters will work effectively in your document text and as prompts on the handheld computer however cannot be included in variable names. |
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Q) I tried to upload a file from a MacIntosh but was unsuccessful. Why? |
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A) Typically this problem is related to the file name and the Browser you are using.
Portable Forms looks for a file extension (*.rtf, *.txt or *.htm)
to determine how to process the file.
Windows computers will automatically set the extension but Macs do not.
Older versions of the Microsoft Internet Explorer(tm) fail to upload the file.
The Netscape Browser works as long as the extension is added to the name. |
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3. Portable Forms Server |
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Q) What browser do I need to use with Portable Forms? |
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A) Most later browsers with Javascript support should run Portable Forms effectively including Modzilla, Opera, Netscape and Internet Explorer. |
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Q) I tapped on a variable name after uploading my form to set the data type and nothing happened. What did I do wrong? |
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A) Most likely you have set your browser to not accept popup windows or are running external popup suppression software. These must be turned off to run Portable Forms. |
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Q) Some of the variable names that I entered on my document are being
displayed as strange characters in the Portable Forms Modify Form page.
What did I do wrong? |
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A) This problem typically occurs if formating is embedded inside the square bracket [ ]
placeholders on your document template.
To solve this problem highlight the entire variable including square brackets, retype,
save and upload again.
This also happens if punctuation or symbols are used in variables.
Delete the variable from the template and re-enter the variable as just letters or numbers.
For more details on variables see the
User Guide
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Q) It took a very long time for my document to upload or I recieved a message saying
that the system timed out. What did I do wrong? |
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A) Do you have any images or logos in your Template?
Sometimes these can make documents dramatically large particularly if they are
bitmap files (.bmp). Convert the images to a different format
like .jpg or .gif. |
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4. Portable Forms Connector |
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Q) When I install Portable Forms Connector on my computer I get an error that says my MDAC must be updated. What do I do?
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A) This problem indicates that your Windows needs updating. We suggest you install 2.8 MDAC_TYP.EXE from the Microsoft download site,
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/ KEYWORDS: MDAC it is suggested that you run
Microsoft Update on your computer to make sure you have the latest patches. Contact Rovenet Tech Support or your reseller if you have any questions. |
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Q) I am installing Portable Forms Connector to communciation with my Palm with Hotsync but when I hit the Hotsync button the Portable Forms Connector never runs. What should I do? |
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A) Usually this problem occurs during a brand new installation for a new Palm computer. You must install Hotsync Manager and Palm Desktop onto your personal computer prior to installing Portable Forms Connector. |
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Q) Do I need to have Activesync running in order to install Portable Forms on my Pocket PC device? |
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A) Yes |
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Q) I get the error message "ActiveX Component can't create object" when trying to run Hot Sync and the Portable Forms Connector. |
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A) This is a known Microsoft Bug for Windows 2000 and Office 2000 they have made a patch availble o9regfix.exe run this program. |
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5. Connecting with a Wireless Browser |
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Q) Do I have to have wireless in order to run Portable Forms? |
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A)No. Wireless connectivity is just one way that you can use Portable Forms. You can also connect in a "batch" mode during a Hotsync or Activesync session. |
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Q) What wireless browsers does Portable Forms work on? |
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A) Portable Forms will operate properly on any wireless browser that supports HTML including those that operate on Palm OS, Pocket PC, Blackberry, SideKick and Communicator connected devices. |
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Q) What is the url that I should use to connect wirelessly to Portable Forms with my wireless browser? |
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A) http://www.portableforms.com/mobile |
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Q) I am using a Palm OS computer that supports PQA files (Palm VIIx, 705, Smartphones). Can I connect wirelessly to Portable Forms? |
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A) To do this you need to download and hotsync the Portable Forms PQA file onto your handheld unit. This download is available at http://www.portableforms.com/downloads |
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6. Integrating Portable Forms with other systems |
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Q) How do I learn the best way to connect Portable Forms with my back end data systems? |
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A) Take a look at Rovenet's white paper on this topic by tapping this link. |
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Q) I want to have Portable Forms send faxes for me. Is there anything else that I have to do? |
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A) For your Portable Forms account fax you need to set up an fax sending account with Efax . Click here for more information and pricing. |
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