What’s New in XLink/Win Version 2.84

XLink/Win version 2.84 is a minor update to 2.8, primarily to add some features for the Sharp OZ models and fix bugs. This update is recommended for users of the Sharp OZ (and equivalent ZQ) Wizard models, particularly the OZ/ZQ-570/630/640/650 models which support the User File data type.

User File

The User File data type is now fully supported for the Sharp OZ/ZQ-570/630/640/650 models, with up to 16 custom field names. You can receive and display User File data from the organizer, open .yoz files containing User File data, and create and send new User File data to the organizer. If you have any existing .yoz backup files made with an earlier version of XLink/Win, they will not contain the User File data from the organizer, so you should make a new backup.

The Sharp USR (User File) data type replaces the Casio FRE (Free Files) data type in XLink/Win for the Sharp models. The User File data type allows up to 16 fields with user-defined names. The default names are "Field 1" through "Field 16", matching the default on the organizer. XLink/Win reads the actual user-defined field names when it receives or opens the User File from the organizer and assigns them as the field names for the USR data type. These field names are stored in the xlinkw.ini file as FREFIELDS=list;of;field;names; .

Model settings in the models.dat file have been updated for all of the Sharp OZ models (and equivalent ZQ models). The original models.dat file in the program folder must be replaced with the updated version.

ToDo Categories

For those who have requested it, Category is now supported for OZ ToDo data type. This feature is enabled if you set the number of ToDo fields in XLink/Win to 7 instead of the default 6, inserting Category as the 5th field. We recommend that you do this by adding the following line to the xlinkw.ini file (by using the main menu function Settings -> Edit INI file) under the [Data Format] section:

TDOFIELDS=Status;Date;Time;Priority;Category;Description;Detail;

You can also use the Data Format editor in XLink/Win (Settings -> Data Format) to set the number of TDO fields to 7 and change the names to match the order above. Cateogry must be the 5th field.

Either way, you should restart the program after making this change. If you have any existing TDO text files with 6 fields, you will have to edit them in a spreadsheet editor to add the missing 5th column for Category. You will also have to add a new "Category" field to the TDO item form, either manually in the xlinkw.ini file or using the FlexForm editor.

Other OZ updates

A bug in converting the Category of text Expense items to OZ output format has been fixed.

A bug in converting the Priority of text ToDo items to OZ output format has been fixed.

There are a few other minor internal bug fixes in this version affecting either the program in general or other organizer models, but no other changes in appearance or operation.

What's New in XLink/Win 2.8

To make the program more compatible with Windows 7 (and Vista), XLink/Win 2.8 includes the following changes:

-         Program data files which require write access are now placed by default in the Application Data folder, as per Microsoft guidelines for WinXP and Vista/Win7. Previous versions of XLink/Win placed these files in the program folder, resulting in warning messages in Vista unless you moved the files elsewhere or turned off User Access Control.

-         User data files are now placed by default in My Documents, and if you change the location, XLink/Win remembers the last folder you used.

-         Microsoft introduced a change in Vista which produces Permission Denied error messages in certain XLink/Win functions such as context-sensitive help and macros. XLink/Win 2.8 has been changed to to prevent this.

-         Since WinHelp support is no longer included by default in Vista/Win7, XLink/Win 2.8 now uses HTML Help format for the Help file. You no longer have to download and install the optional WinHelp support for Vista/Win7.

A serial driver problem in Vista/Win7 prevented many common types of USB-serial adapters from working correctly with XLink/Win. XLink/Win 2.8 has been changed to avoid this problem.

XLink/Win 2.8 is backwards-compatible with WinXP, Win2000/NT, and Win9x.

Export / Import Updates

Export and Import to and from files and the clipboard has several new features which makes these functions easier to use:

-         Preview mode allows you to see how the actual data will be assigned to fields when it is exported or imported. Field assignments can be changed in Preview mode.

-         Field names can now be changed for export, and the changes are included in the export file header record and saved as part of the export template.

-         Field assignments are shown visually by highlighting the internal field that corresponds to the selected export/import field.

A new pair of menu functions has been added for exporting and importing Microsoft Outlook csv text file format, as a shortcut to exchanging data with Outlook. These functions can be easily customized and adapted by the user to support other organizer programs.

These changes do not affect existing CEX and CIM export and import template files. You can continue to use any existing template files from earlier versions of XLink/Win.

The outdated support for Microsoft’s old Schedule+ program (a precursor of Outlook) has been removed in this version.

Other Changes

Filenames are no longer converted to all UPPERCASE in XLink/Win.

A new function Edit INI File has been added on the Settings menu to make it easier to edit the parameters in the Xlinkw.ini file.

You no longer have to use Alt-Enter to start a new line during forms data entry. The Enter key now starts a new line as usual, and no longer closes and saves the form. Closing the form with the window close button now saves changes automatically without prompting, while the Escape key closes the form and discards the changes.

You can now select COM port numbers above COM4 directly in the port settings without editing the INI file, which is helpful for serial-USB adapters.

In addition to these changes, XLink/Win 2.8 includes a number of cumulative bug fixes from the original release of version 2.7b.