Twiddlebit - Pocket Plan FAQ

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	*Pocket Plan for Pocket and Handheld PC - Frequently Asked Questions*
	Q: What is the policy on upgrades to Pocket Plan? Q: Will Pocket Plan work on my Pocket/Handheld PC? Q: What is the difference between Plan5, Plan6, Plan for Nokia 9XXX and Pocket Plan? Q: How much does Pocket Plan cost? Q: I have already registered Plan, Plan5 or Plan6, can I upgrade to Pocket Plan? Q: Is Pocket Plan compatible with Microsoft Project? Q: I'm having problems sync'ing plans between my PC and Pocket PC, what could be the problem? Q: Why do I get a message asking me to check for an upgrade when opening a file? Q: When I try to close Pocket Plan (with the X in the top right of the screen), my Pocket PC hangs?
	Q: What is the policy on upgrades to Pocket Plan? A: If you have already registered Pocket Plan for the Pocket PC and/or Handheld PC then you can upgrade to newer version of Pocket Plan for free. Simply download and install the new version over any existing version.
	Q: Will Pocket Plan work on my Pocket/Handheld PC? A: Pocket Plan is supported on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile 2000 - 2005 and Handheld 2000 PCs. Plan should work on all types of Pocket PC devices (ARM, XScale, SH3 and MIPS). ARM and MIPS Handheld PC 2000 devices are also supported (such as the Jornada 710, 720 and 728).
	Q: What is the difference between Plan5, Plan6, Plan for Nokia 9XXX and Pocket Plan? A: Each product is supported on a different set of devices (Psion PDAs, Nokia 9XXX and Pocket PC). Pocket Plan and Plan for Nokia 9XXX both share the same underlying engine code which is written in C++. Both Plan for the Series 3a and Plan5 for the Series5/Revo were written using the Psion OPL language. This means that although Plan for Nokia 9XXX and Pocket Plan are both functionally and visually similar in some ways to Plan5, internally they are very different. Some of the differences include: Plan has no limits - you can enter any number of tasks, resources, dependencies, resource assignments per task, holidays (all subject to available memory). Plan5 had some fixed limits in each of these areas. Plan is much faster than Plan5. The new calculation engine is superior to Plan5. Projects can be calculated backwards in time as well as forwards, i.e. you can enter a target completion date and Plan calculates when the project needs to start. Resource calendar settings are much more flexible in the new engine. Plan5 had a 3 year calendar limit, in Plan any holidays may be entered from 1950-2050. Shift patterns may also be entered, including support for lunch breaks. Specific work hours may also be set for any given day. Compatibility with Microsoft Project is improved. The full range of Microsoft Project constraint and dependency types is supported (FS,FF,SF,SS). Some features in Plan5 will not initially be supported in Plan, e.g. Pert view. These features will be added in subsequent releases.
	Q: How much does Pocket Plan cost? A: Around US$30 or £15. Upgrades to newer versions of Pocket Plan will be free once registered. A single user registration of Pocket Plan allows use on both Pocket PC and Handheld PC devices. Purchase via the Internet using this link.
	Q: I have already registered Plan, Plan5 or Plan6, can I upgrade to Pocket Plan? A: Existing users of Plan, Plan5 or Plan6 can upgrade to Pocket Plan for a reduced fee. See here.
	Q: Is Pocket Plan compatible with Microsoft Project? A: Yes. You can transfer data in both directions between Pocket Plan and Microsoft project using ActiveSync (3.5, 3.6, 3.7,...). Synchronisation is supported with Microsoft Project 98, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007. The converter works on Windows 95/98, XP, NT and 2000. On the device itself Pocket Plan can directly read MPP and MPX files and also write MPX files. Note that automatic conversion is not supported on Windows Vista when using the Windows Mobile Device Center. In this case a standalone PC based utility is also available for conversion between Plan and Microsoft Project files.
	Q: I'm having problems sync'ing plans between my PC and Pocket PC, what could be the problem? A: Check through the following list of most common problems: The converter works with ActiveSync, it will not work with the Windows Mobile Device Center on Vista. If you are using Vista then download our standalone converter (see downloads page). First make sure you are using the latest version of Pocket Plan. This can be downloaded from here: http://www.twiddlebit.com/pocketplan.htm Make sure you install Pocket Plan on the PC you are sync'ing with. This is because a converter component is installed on your PC which integrates with ActiveSync. After installing Pocket Plan on your PC, we strongly recommend you reboot your PC to ensure ActiveSync picks up the new converter. There is a setting available for ActiveSync which controls how Pocket Plan files are synchronised with your desktop PC. This setting allows you to control whether plan files (.PLN) are simply copied unmodified or are converted to and from (.MPP) files, which is a format suitable for use with Microsoft Project. If you are using Twiddlebit Plan for Windows on you desktop PC then you should ensure that PLN files are copied without conversion. If you are using Microsoft Project on your desktop PC then they should be converted to the MPD or MPP file format. Conversion to the MPP format will only work if you have Microsoft Project on your PC, whereas MPD format can used even if you haven't got Microsoft Project. To change the setting proceed as follows: 1. On your PC open ActiveSync and click on the "Options" button. 2. On the "Rules" tab select "Conversion Settings...". 3. On the "Device to Desktop" tab find the "Twiddlebit Plan Document". Select it and click on "Edit..." 4. Change the "Type" setting to "(No Conversion)" if you are using Twiddlebit Plan for Windows on your PC or set it to "Microsoft project (*.mpd)" if you are using Microsoft Project. 5. You may have to repeat steps 3 and 4 above, but this time on the "Desktop to Device" tab with the "Microsoft Project Document" entry. The converter has been tested with Microsoft Project 98, 2000 and 2002 on Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 and XP. If you have Microsoft Project 95 then the converter will not work. When converting a file make sure you don't have the file open in Microsoft Project on your PC or Pocket Plan on your Pocket PC. If you get an error and you don't appear to have Microsoft Project open then double check by opening Microsoft Project on your PC. Pocket Plan does not support all of the fields available in Microsoft Project. This means you may loose some data in the conversion. If you sync in one direction from Microsoft Project to Pocket Plan then this isn't a problem. Otherwise if you sync in both directions we recommend you limit usage of fields to those available within Pocket Plan. Pocket Plan does not support "automatic levelling" of resources. Dependencies between tasks should be set to "manually level" a project. If you are using automatic levelling in Microsoft Project then you may find some differences when you transfer the project to Plan and recalculate the project. A useful test is to try to convert the sample plan supplied with Pocket Plan. Drag this from your Pocket PC to your PC and back and see if it works. This may pinpoint a problem with a specific project file. If you still have problems then please email us the following and we will do our best to investigate: - The PlanCnv.log file. This will be located in the temp directory on your PC. Depending upon which Windows operating system you are using this could be one of the following: C:\Windows\temp C:\temp C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp - A copy of any specific Microsoft Project file which causes a problem. - Any step by step instructions on what actions to perform to reproduce the problem. - Details of any error messages you receive.
	Q: Why do I get a message asking me to check for an upgrade when opening a file? A: Make sure you are using the latest version of Plan. The file format has probably changed. The latest version of Plan can read all previous version, but old versions may not be able to read files created by a newer version.
	Q: When I try to close Pocket Plan (with the X in the top right of the screen), my Pocket PC hangs? A: The likely cause of this is that you have the "Battery Pack" application installed and the option enabled which closes the running application if the "X" is pressed. This causes Pocket Plan to hang. We recommend that you disable the option within Battery Pack for terminating the running application and email the authors of Battery Pack for a fix.