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Do you have a Stowaway Keyboard, or another brand of external keyboard that attaches to your Pocket PC? When you use Pocket Word, you've probably tried to type a document, during which you've pressed Ctrl+B or Ctrl+I out of habit. What happens then? Well...nothing. Pocket Word ignores your command and continues to give you a plain, normally-formatted text that doesn't have Bold, Underlined, or Italicized text like you had asked.
Overview
Now, however, there's an easy and simple way to do this without doing much of anything that's much different from what you would normally do on your PC's word processor. It's called WordCommands. WordCommands will attach to Pocket Word and intercept those keyboard shortcuts that Word doesn't pay attention to. Then, when it sees that you've typed a key combination, it will send the appropriate message to Pocket Word, which will act as if you've just tapped the correct button or selected the proper menu item.
WordCommands is free, and even has a help window that will help you remember all of the combinations it recognizes. Just press Ctrl+H. Would you like to quit Pocket Word and free up some memory? Now there's a quit command, Ctrl+Q, that will even save your work for you. The rest of the recognized commands are:
| Ctrl+H |
Help File |
| Ctrl+B |
Bold Text |
| Ctrl+I |
Italic Text |
| Ctrl+U |
Underlined Text |
| Ctrl+L |
Left Justification |
| Ctrl+E |
Center Justification |
| Ctrl+R |
Right Justification |
| Ctrl+T |
Bullets |
| Ctrl+D |
Formatting Dialog Box |
| Ctrl+P |
Paragraph Dialog Box |
| Ctrl+F |
Find & Replace |
| Ctrl+N |
New |
| Ctrl+Z |
Undo |
| Ctrl+Y |
Redo |
| Ctrl+X |
Cut |
| Ctrl+C |
Copy |
| Ctrl+V |
Paste |
| Ctrl+A |
Select All |
| Ctrl+7 |
Spell Check (Not compatible with Pocket PC 2000) |
| Ctrl+W |
Word Count ( Not compatible with Pocket PC 2000) |
| Ctrl+0 |
Settings |
| Ctrl+M |
Hide SIP Panel |
| Ctrl+5 |
Insert Date |
| Ctrl+S |
Save & Close Document |
| Ctrl+Q |
Save & Quit Pocket Word |
| Ctrl+1 |
Quit Word Commands |
WordCommands works completely with the Pocket PC 2002 operating system right now, but non-testing versions for Pocket PC 2000 should be out soon if people give me feedback on what works and what doesn't in those versions. If you have a Pocket PC 2000-class PDA and you would like to help me test out the version for Pocket PC 2000, please PM me at the Pocket PC Passion board or E-Mail me at the address below with the processor type of your device and I'll work with you to try and get that version working. Or, if you don't have any problems with it, you could let me know that too and I'll check with others. Of course, you could also ignore me and it'll stay in an inoperable state, but that wouldn’t help anyone in the long run. Please note that on the Pocket PC 2000 OS, your version of Pocket Word does not support Spell Checking and Word Count. Those key commands have been disabled and don't work on that OS. This program does not add functionality to Pocket Word, it merely makes the existing functionality more accessible to those with a keyboard.
Feel free to distribute this program to anyone who wants a copy, but you must make sure that this is done in a manner that does not alter the function or information of or in the program. If you would like to distribute this program on a CD or put it on a website, please let me know in advance through the method outlined below.
Installation
When you download the CAB file, copy the CAB to your device, usually in My Documents. To complete the installation, open the CAB file, and the First Run directions will instruct you on changing settings from there.
Version 2.0
It has taken a long time for me to feel comfortable releasing version 2.0, and I've now decided to post the final version here. I've eaten my own dog food for about six months and based on the absence of problems that have required me to recompile changes (and of course the lack of problem reports from other people), I'll tell you that from my opinion, the application is finally ready to be stripped of its Beta label. Special thanks to Gerard and Joseph, the SH3 and MIPS builds appear to be working - this would not have been possible without their help, as I do not own devices running these processors.
Compatibility
If you have an external keyboard or SIP window that can send the Control button keystroke, then this program will work with it. That includes the Stowaway keyboard, the GoType! keyboard, the Keyboard input method (SIP), and almost anything else you can find. Note: The one notable exception that has been reported is the lack of a Control key on the HP Pocket Keyboard. I don't have one of these devices at the moment, so I can't test it. Some people have reported that the key commands make TextMaker do things, even though they seem to be either wrong or just plain weird. I assure you, this is purely accidental, but it has motivated me to try and make it work with TextMaker as well.
Comments from Users
- "I discovered your fantastic WordCommands software reading PocketPCPassion forums and since we also run a similar website in Brazil, we mentioned your software (1, 2) and made it available for download. I am sure our users will love WordCommands like I did. I loved it! Congratulations!" -- Vladimir Campos from Mobile Site (http://www.mobilesite.com.br)
- "Jay, thank you SO much for this. This fixes a big gripe I had with Microsoft over Pocket Word. WordCommands makes typing in Pocket Word a completely different and far better experience." -- Jeff Kirvin, Editor, Writing On Your Palm (http://www.writingonyourpalm.net/)
- "Thanks for developing this shortcut tool. It is a major help to me since I do a lot of writing on my Casio E-115 and GoType Pro keyboard. I am happy to report that every shortcut advertised on your site works FLAWLESSLY! This is something I have wanted for a long time. This is a well-done little application. I appreciate that you kept it small, very functional, and easy to use. The little help file is a big plus. I am definitely adding this application to my list of MUST HAVE applications for any serious PPC user!" -- Martin Burch
- "Mr. Lagorio, I want to thank you for taking the time to develop such a wonderful utility. I have been searching for this for quite some time now, and I am thoroughly impressed with the product that you made." -- Bruno Sandre
- "I just wanted to drop you a note and thank you so much for creating this program. It's great!!!" -- Will Baxter
- "Hurrah!!! Thank you for a really useful program." -- Bradford Miter
- "Hi, came across your program and am very pleased to report it does all you say it can. It is a great utility thank you!" -- Ed Napiorkowski
- "Jay, This program is simply marvelous. My wife bought me a Stoyaway keyboard for our anniversary and I can't imagine working with Pocket word without your program. Thanks!" -- Byron Rogers
Independent Reviews
Contact the Author
If you have any questions or comments about the program, please E-Mail me at jay@lagorio.net and be sure to reference the program in the Subject line. Thanks go to Paragon Again for letting me use his web space.
Download
Version History:
- Version 1.0
Initial Release
- Version 1.1
- MIPS BUG: Word returns the error, "Unable to open the document. The document does not exist." This has been corrected, thanks to Gerard and Jim.
- The save command (Ctrl+S) has been added.
- Inconsistencies in the Help window were corrected.
- Small optimizations for memory and speed were made.
- SH3 BUG: The Ctrl+H command works now.
- Version 1.15
- Fixed some inconsistencies on the help screen, thanks to Bruno.
- Added Ctrl+M to hide the SIP panel for non-Stowaway users.
- Version 2.0 Beta 1 (Beta Only)
- Allowed for pass-through commands. Put simply, if you run WordCommands with command line parameters, they are passed unmodified to Pocket Word. This also allows for:
- Support for Associations. If selected (it is an option that defaults to off), WordCommands will take the association away from Pocket Word and take control over them. This applies to all Word files, including .PWD, .PSW, .DOC, .DOT, .TXT, and .RTF files. They can also be reset to their previous association with Pocket Word.
- Made the program Startup Items-compatible. There is now a setting that will allow the product to start itself when the device finishes a soft-reset. Use the settings window to access this option.
- Redesigned the Help File so that it is an actual file, and not a cramped window. It is also much more informative.
- Added a settings window that allows you to control associations, start-up, and memory usage.
- Added a First Run window that comes up when the application is executed for the first time. Also allows you to configure settings.
- Version 2.0 Beta 2 (Beta Only)
- Fixed a bug that prevented the auto-start setting from working correctly without extra help. (Special thanks to Jamie McCoy).
- Fixed a file association bug.
- Compatible with Windows Mobile 2003
- Version 2.0
- Compatible with Windows Mobile 2003
Version 1.15 Builds and their Issues:
NOTE: These builds have been taken offline. I feel that they're too old to be maintained, and while they worked very well during their time, it's time to move on to making version 2.0 work just as well. If you require a version 1.0 build, please don't hesitate to contact me, as I would be happy to send you one.
- Pocket PC 2002 (ARM)
Possible Issues:
None that are apparent.
- Pocket PC 2000 (MIPS)
Possible Issues:
It is possible that interactions with Casio Mobile E-Mailer will occur if both that program and WordCommands are in memory at the same time. MIPS testers' input on whether or not this issue affects them is sought and preferred. Please report through the E-Mail Address above. Special thanks go to Gerard and Jim for the extensive detail they paid to testing and reporting.
- Pocket PC 2000 (SH3)
Possible Issues:
None that are apparent. Special thanks go to Zachary, for the extensive detail he paid to testing and reporting.
- Pocket PC 2000 (ARM)
Possible Issues:
None that are apparent.
Version 2.0 Builds Available and their Issues:
- Pocket PC 2002 (ARM)
Possible Issues:
None that are apparent.
- Pocket PC 2000 (MIPS)
Possible Issues:
None that are apparent. Special thanks go to Gerard, for the extensive detail he paid to testing and reporting.
- Pocket PC 2000 (SH3)
Possible Issues:
Note that are apparent. Special thanks go to Joseph, for the extensive detail he paid to testing and reporting.
- Pocket PC 2000 (ARM)
Possible Issues:
None that are apparent.
This page was last updated at 9/22/2004 at 12:30 PM EST
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