User Guide: Bob's Alarm version 3.0
Updated 2004.06.07
(c) 2004 RarM_Software

General Features Disclaimer Getting Started Main Screen Alarms Timers Stopwatches Preferences Alert Settings Time Zones Manage Events Alternate Fonts Responding to an Alarm Register Support

1. General Features
   Bob's Alarm is a Palm application that provides multiple alarms, timers, and stopwatches in an integrated interface.  It is intended to replace any built-in alarm application, offering greater flexibility over the built-in functions that are usually provided.  Bob's Alarm was originally designed for the PalmV device, on which the generic alarm sounds were insufficiently loud to allow that device to be used effectively as an alarm clock.  By allowing custom configuration of the alarm sound (tone, volume, etc.) Bob's Alarm could produce much louder sounds (as I recall, using a tone of 2750 hz proved to be optimally loud).  Since that time, Bob's Alarm has grown considerably, and it is now quite feature-rich.
   1. Recent advanced-technology devices including the Treo 600 are well-supported.
   2. Supports alternate background colors à la "colorize.prc."
   3. Supports background themes (bitmaps and color schemes).
      
   4. Timer and stopwatch times are maintained after system time changes and system resets.
   5. Supports MIDI, Wave and custom "Bob's Tones" sounds for each event.
      
   6. Application functions reserved for registered versions appear in this document in blue text.
2. Disclaimer
   Bob's Alarm is shareware and has not been developed by a large software development company.  Consequently, access to multiple hardware devices for testing purposes has been limited.  I have been able to conduct personal tests on several physical devices (PalmV, PalmVx, Palm m500, Palm Tungsten T3) and I have used software simulators for the remainder of the testing (Treo600, Various Palm Tungsten flavors, various Sony flavors, Tapwave Zodiac).  Further to this, I have a very active Yahoo! user group, where people have provided huge amounts of troubleshooting feedback on specific devices.
   
   
   1. Give this application a trial run to make sure it performs to your satisfaction before registering it.
   2. This is where I am supposed to put in a lot of legalese about the limitations of my liability with respect to your use of Bob's Alarm. Suffice to say, Bob's Alarm is quite inexpensive and ample opportunity is provided with the trial sessions for you to evaluate the product and decide if it works for you.
   3. 1. I cannot be responsible for data loss on your device or damage to your device, both of which are extremely unlikely.
      2. On the other hand, I do offer comprehensive support if anything doesn't work correctly. The Yahoo support group is quite active and has been the source of many suggestions leading to the significant upgrades.
   4. All of the functions are active in the trial version with some exceptions.
      1. You will not be able to create additional events.
      2. You will not be able to name any events.
      3. You will not be able to assign custom controls to each event.
      4. You will not be able to apply background themes (bitmap images).
         
   5. A Session registration mode with a limited number of activations is available to demonstrate registered features on a trial basis.
3. Getting Started
   Just like most Palm applications, you must download the required files from the Web in zip file format, unzip them and upload them to your device.  All of the files required to run Bob's Alarm are included in the main 'zip' file, but you may also choose to install some additional background images, and those must be downloaded as separate zip files.
   
   1. Download the Bob's Alarm zip file and unzip it to a folder on your desktop.  Since you are already reading this information, it means that this part of the process is already done!
      
   2. Select the application file "BAlarm_v###.prc" for installation on your Palm device.
      1. Usually this can be accomplished simply by double-clicking the application icon.
      2. If that does not work, then launch your Palm Desktop application and use the Install Tool to locate and select this file.
   3. HotSync to upload the application to your Palm device.
      1. Do NOT install Bob's Alarm to an expansion card (SD, MS, etc.)
         1. The application will appear to operate correctly, but the alarms will not be able to wake up Bob's Alarm when your Palm device is turned off or when you are within another application.
   4. Advanced features may require that you also install additional files:
   5. 1. For high-resolution digits install: "BLCDBmp.prc"
      2. For Wave and "Bob's Tones" support install: "BobSoundLib_v###.prc"
      3. For background graphics and color schemes install: "BBakBmp_*.prc"
4. Main Screen
   The  main screen is the starting point for all functions in Bob's Alarm.  From this screen you can access the Alarms/Timer/Stopwatch screens, and the menu commands, which are used to configure Bob's Alarm.  The main screen can be expanded to fill 360x480 displays, on devices so equipped, and it can serve as a handsome desk clock, with the selection of an appropriate background image.  
   1. The Main screen displays the following information.
      1. A large display of the current time.  On devices with dynamic input areas (320 x 480 pixels, for instance) the position of the digit display can be adjusted to the top, center or bottom of the screen (left, center, right in landscape mode).
         
      2. The main time zone information, displayed immediately above the current time.  This display includes the day and date in the main time zone.
         
      3. A second selectable time zone directly below the main time display. 
         
      4. A small display of the next active event (alarm or timer) immediately
         1. If no alarms or timers are active, then "No pending events" will be displayed.
         2. When there is an active event, then the time of the event, or a countdown to the event will be displayed.
            
         3. If the next active event is NOT on the same day then the day or date of the event will appear
            1. If the next active event is within one week of the current time then the day (3 character) will be displayed.
               
            2. If the next active event is greater than one week then the brief date will be displayed
         4. A letter is within parentheses to the left of the time-of-event display if the alarm is set for a time zone that differs from the zone selected for the main display.
            • (H) represents the home time zone.
            • (L) represents the local time zone.
            • (S) represents the synch time zone.
      5. An icon at the top left corner displays if the state of Bob's Alarm.  The possible states are described below in section 2.A.
   2. The Main screen provides access to the following operational controls.
      1. Switch the state of Bob's Alarm by tapping the speaker icon.  The possible states are:
         • ON. The speaker is displayed and events are active and will make sound.
         • OFF.  The speaker is crossed out and events are active but the sound is muted.
         • DISABLED.  Only the cross-out is visible and no events will be active.
           
      2. Change the upper and lower time zones by tapping their drop-down arrows.
         • Home displays the home time zone.
         • Local displays the local time zone.
         • Synch displays the synch time zone.
      3. Tap the time/day/date display next to the time zone to switch to the Time Zones screen.  The Time Zones screen allows you to adjust the time setpoint of each time zone.
         
      4. Tap the name of the next event to switch to the control screen for the next event.
         1. If no events are active, tap the No pending events label to switch to the Manage Events screen.
      5. Tap and hold the name of the next event to switch to the Manage Events screen.
      6. Tap the next event time display to switch from time-of-event to countdown-to-event and back.
      7. Tap the three buttons along the bottom of the screen to switch to the Alarm, Timer, or Stopwatch screens respectively.
   3. The Main screen provides menu commands via the silkscreen menu button.
      1. Preferences switches to a set of screens where you can set and reset operation preferences.
      2. Alert Settings switches to a set of screens where you can change the alert tone qualities.
      3. Time Zones switches to a screen where you can set time zones.
      4. Manage Events switches to a screen where you can access, modify, create, and delete alarm, timer, and stopwatch events.
      5. Toggle theme switches the background image and color scheme.
         
      6. Help information provides tips and reminders about the use of Bob's Alarm.
         1. Two buttons are present for testing vibration mode on Handspring devices.
      7. About information includes the version number of Bob's Alarm.
      8. Reset messages will return messages dismissed by the user to an un-viewed state.
      9. Register switches to the registration screen.
5. Alarms
   The Alarm screen allows you to set up your alarm events.  Alarm events are those events that must happen at a specific time of day.  You can specify the time of the event, the frequency of repeat, and the timezone.
   
   1. The Alarm screen provides access to the following controls:
      1. Available alarms are accessed by pressing the up/down hardware buttons.
         1. Unregistered versions allow two alarms.
         2. Registered versions allow a total of 255 events of all types (alarms, timers, and stopwatches).
      2. The top bar displays which alarm is front most and the total number of alarms created.
      3. Registered versions can assign a title to each alarm.
      4. Repeat selects the alarm repeat settings via a drop-down arrow.
         • Once
         • Daily
         • Mon-Fri
         • Sat/Sun
         • Mon
         • Tues
         • Wed
         • Thur
         • Fri
         • Sat
         • Sun
         • Custom... switches to the Custom Alarm Repeat screen.
           1. Registered versions can affect greater control over when alarms can be set.
           2. Start date selects the date when the alarm will commence via a drop-down arrow.
              • Today
              • Tomorrow
              • No Date
              • Choose... switches to the standard Palm date selection screen.
           3. End date selects the date when the alarm will cease via a drop-down arrow.
              • Today
              • Tomorrow
              • No Date
              • Choose... switches to the standard Palm date selection screen.
           4. Repeat on allows the selection of days of the week when the alarm will activate.
           5. Tap Done to accept the settings and return to the Alarm screen.
           6. Tap Cancel to ignore new settings and return to the Alarm screen.
      5. Settings selects the alarm control settings via a drop-down arrow.
         1. Default uses the settings from the general Alert Settings screens.
         2. Custom... switches to the Custom Alarm Settings screen.
            1. Registered versions can control settings similar to those on the general Alert Settings screen but apply only to the associated alarm.
            2. Trigger: is a control unique to Custom Alarm Settings.
               1. Use the drop-down arrow to select a timer event that will cause the custom alarm to activate when the timer concludes.
               2. An alarm will trigger a timer immediately when the alarm begins to sound.
               3. Triggers allow events to be cascaded and looped.
      6. Zone selects the time zone connected to the alarm via a drop-down arrow.  The current time in the selected zone is displayed to the right of the Zone selector.
         • Home causes the alert to sound when the alarm time is reached in the home time zone.
         • Local causes the alert to sound when the alarm time is reached in the local time zone.
         • Synch causes the alert to sound when the alarm time is reached in the synch time zone.
      7. Adjust the alarm times by tapping the top or bottom of each digit, or the AM/PM icon.
      8. Turn each alarm on or off using the checkbox at the bottom center of the screen.  Also, when an alarm has been started, a spinning clock icon will appear above the digit display.
      9. The bottom-right button is used to toggle between 3 different alarm times: "Reset" will switch the alarm time to 12:00am.  "Now" will set the alarm time to the current time in the selected timezone, and "Prev" will set the alarm time to the previously selected alarm time.
         
      10. If you access a alarm while it is in a snoozed state, "Snoozed" will flash on the screen below the large digits.
      11. Tap Done to return to the Main screen.
          
   2. The Alarm screen provides menu commands via the silkscreen menu button.
      1. New Alarm allows registered versions to create new alarms.
      2. Delete Alarm allows registered versions to delete existing alarms.
         
         1. There must always be at least two alarms.
      3. Stop Alarms will stop all alarms.
      4. Manage Events switches to the Manage Events screen.
         
   3. If you access an alarm while it is in a snoozed state, a "Snoozing" message will be displayed underneath the alarm digits.
      
6. Timers
   The Timer screen allows you to set up your timer events.  Timer events are those events that must happen after a specific period of time has elapsed.
   
   1. The Timer screen provides access to the following controls:
      1. Available timers are accessed by pressing the up/down hardware buttons.
         1. Unregistered versions allow two timers.
         2. Registered versions allow a total of 255 events of all types (alarms, timers, and stopwatches).
      2. The top bar displays which timer is front most and the total number of timers created.
      3. Registered versions can assign a title to each timer.
      4. Settings selects the timer control settings via a drop-down arrow.
         1. Default uses the settings from the general Alert Settings screens.
         2. Custom... switches to the Custom Timers Settings screens.
            1. Registered versions can control settings similar to those on the general Alert Settings screen but apply only to the associated timer.
            2. Trigger: is a control unique to Custom Timer Settings.
               
               1. Use the drop-down arrow to select a timer event that will cause the custom timer to activate when it concludes.
               2. Triggers allow events to be cascaded and looped.
            3. Timer Repeat: is a control unique to Custom Timer Settings.
               1. Use the drop-down arrow to select the number of times from 0 to 10 that the timer will repeat.
               2. A timer will trigger a subsequent timer when all repeats for the current timer have expired.
      5. Adjust the timer by tapping the top or bottom of each digit.
         1. To adjust the small second digits, tap the second digits to enlarge them (reducing the size of the hour digits), then tap the top or bottom of each digit.
         2. To adjust the small hour digits, tap the hour digits to enlarge them (reducing the size of the second digits), then tap the top or bottom of each digit.
      6. If you access a timer while it is in a snoozed state, "Snoozed" will flash on the screen below the large digits.
      7. Tap Back to return to the Main screen.
      8. Depending on the state of the timer, the center control button will display Start, Stop, or Resume.
      9. The Reset button will stop the timer and return the set-point to the preset value.
   2. The Timer screen provides menu commands via the silkscreen menu button.
      1. New Timer allows registered versions to create new timers.
      2. Delete Timer allows registered versions to delete existing timers.
         1. There must always be at least two timers.
      3. Stop Timer will stop all timers.
      4. Manage Events switches to the Manage Events screen.
7. Stopwatches
   Stopwatches are used to record the passage of time.  These are particularly useful during sporting events, or to record how long it takes to get from point-A to point-B while traveling.  After you have recorded the time of an event, you can export the stopwatch information to a MemoPad note for archival purposes.  The export will include ALL lap times, and can also include an optional descriptive sentence.
   
   1. The Stopwatches screen provides access to the following controls:
      1. Available stopwatches are accessed by pressing the up/down hardware buttons.
         1. Unregistered versions allow two stopwatches.
         2. Registered versions allow a total of 255 events of all types (alarms, timers, and stopwatches).
      2. The top bar displays which stopwatch is front most and the total number of stopwatches created.
      3. Registered versions can assign a title to each stopwatch.
      4. Tap the Lap button to record the lap time.
         1. Laps record the cumulative time and the elapsed time since the last lap, if any.
         2. Tap the up or down arrows to view lap times when the number of laps exceeds the available space.
      5. Tap Back to return to the Main screen.
      6. Depending on the state of the stopwatch, the center control button will display Start, Stop, or Resume.
      7. The Reset button will stop the stopwatch, return the set-point to zero, and clear all lap times.
         
         
   2. The Stopwatches screen provides menu commands via the silkscreen menu button.
      1. New Stopwatch allows registered versions to create new stopwatches.
      2. Delete Stopwatch allows registered versions to delete existing stopwatches.
         1. There must always be at least two stopwatches.
      3. Stop Stopwatch will stop all stopwatches.
      4. Manage Events switches to the Manage Events screen.
      5. Export Stopwatch will write all pertinent stopwatch information including laps to MemoPad.
         1. A message called "BAlarm-SW:" will automatically be created in the "Unfiled" category of MemoPad.
         2. A brief note may be included with the export.
8. Preferences
   The Preferences screen allows you to configure the appearance and behavior of Bob's Alarm.  For instance, you use this screen to select background images, set which actions will snooze or cancel an alarm, and to define where Bob's Alarm should look on your SD card to find wave sounds files.
   
   1. Each "Tab" groups together similar, configurable features of Bob's Alarm.
      1. Tap the Clock tab to access controls over clock operations.
         1. Clock mode: selects how the clock displays on the Main screen.
            1. Select whether the time is displayed in 12-hour (AM/PM) or 24-hour format via the drop-down arrow.
            2. Select if the 24-hour format includes a leading "0," (e.g. "07:30").
            3. Select if the clock displays seconds.
            4. Select if the second time zone displays below the main time display if that time is the same as the first time zone above the main time display.
            5. Select if your device should stay powered-on when connected to a power source (usually in the cradle).  This will apply ONLY to Bob's Alarm, so that it can be used as a desk clock, and not to any other applications.
         2. Device: allows you to configure how Bob's Alarm relates to the device time
            1. Time: displays the current device time.  You can adjust the current time with the Change button.
               
            2. Zone: selects whether the Palm device's internal time should be used as the Home time zone or the Local time zone.
            3. Tip: If you travel to another time zone and reset the time on your Palm device, select "Palm is: Local." If you wish to leave your device time alone (on a short trip, for instance), but want to have Bob's Alarm display the correct time in your current time zone, select "Palm is: Home." Changing this setting will adjust your upcoming alarm events so they will sound at the correct time according to your selections on the Alarm screen.
      2. Tap the Actions tab to access controls over user-interface operations.
         1. Action during alert display: selects application behavior when an alert appears.
            1. Snooze: selects the action that will cause a snooze response and retains the Alert screen via the drop-down arrow. As a reminder, the snooze action you select (below) will appear at the bottom of the Alarm or Timer Alert screen.
               • Any tap
               • Tap main
               • Tap silk
               • Any button
               • Any application
               • Datebook
               • Address
               • ToDo
               • Notepad
               • Voice
               • Any selector
               • Up/Down
               • Any 5-way
               • 5-way Center
               • None
            2. Cancel: selects the action that will cause an alert cancel response via the drop-down arrow. As a reminder, the cancel action you select (below) will appear at the bottom of the Alarm or Timer Alert screen.
               • Any tap
               • Tap main
               • Tap silk
               • Any button
               • Any application
               • Datebook
               • Address
               • ToDo
               • Notepad
               • Voice
               • Any selector
               • Up/Down
               • Any 5-way
               • 5-way Center
         2. Snooze behavior: selects how the application behaves once a snooze command has been detected.
            1. Select "Allow multiple snoozes" to allow successive snooze commands to increase the snooze time.  For instance, if the snooze time is set to 5 minutes, pressing the snooze control 3 times would result in a 15 minute snooze duration.
            2. Select "Exit upon snooze" to return to the previous application immediately upon initiating the snooze command.  The event will continue snoozing, but you can then access other applications before the next event happens.
         3. Audio Confirmation: selects if the application will provide confirmation of a screen tap or button press.
            1. Select "Confirm 'snooze' (beep)" to hear a single tone after performing the action that causes a snooze response.
            2. Select "Confirm 'cancel' (2 beeps)" to hear two tones after performing the action that causes a cancel response.
      3. Tap the Screen tab to control the look of the Bob's Alarm screen.
         1. Selecting the Config dropdown allows you to select the hardware configuration for your device
            
            1. Screen mode: selects the bit-depth for your display.
            2. • Select B/W for a 1-bit black and white display.
               • Select 4 Shades for a 2-bit gray shades display.
               • Select 16 Shades for a 4-bit gray shades display.
               • Select 8-bit for a 256 color display.
               • Select 16-bit for a 65,000 color display.
         2. Selecting the Theme dropdown allows you to select the background bitmap and color theme
            1. The default background setting is "<system>", where the colors are set as per the default system settings.  No custom adjustments are provided with the "<system>" setting.
            2. Any other setting will allow you to customize the colors of the background, digits and text.
            3. The "<custom>" setting provides a uniformly colored background.
            4. Selecting any other background name will display the background image behind the text and digits.  A sample of the background image will be displayed in the bottom left corner of the "screen" tab.  These background images must be loaded onto your device independently from the main "Bob's Alarm" application file.  Each background image has a name of the format "BBakBmp_*.prc", where the actual name of the background image replaces the "*" character.  A sample background image is included in the zip file download package, and additional background images can be found at the rarm_software Yahoo! group site.
            5. Tapping on any colored square will pop-up a color selection dialogue.
            6. The digits can be customized (for enhanced visibility) by adding a hilight color above the digit, or a shadow color below the digit.
            7. An outline can be created around the "Alarm", "Timer" or "Stopwatch" icons on the main screen for enhanced visibility.
            8. On devices that support 320x480 pixel displays, the position of the digits can be adjusted to be at the top, center or bottom of the screen (or left, center or right in landscape mode).
      4. Tap the Nav tab to control navigation options within the BA screens.
         1. Jump to 'Manage' screen: allows additional actions to access the Manage Events screen.
            1. Select Datebook, NotePad, or both.  Tapping either of these hard-buttons from within Bob's Alarm will immediately pop-up the 'Manage Events' screen.
         2. Treo600 up/down: Controls how Bob's Alarm will respond to the Treo600 5-way navigation up/down hard-buttons when you are viewing an event on the "Alarm", "Timer", or "Stopwatch" screens.
            1. With 'Toggle Events' turned on, pressing the 'Up/Down' button will toggle to the next event.  Pressing the 5-way center button on a hilighted digit will increment that digit by one.
            2. With 'Toggle Events' turned off
               1. pressing the 'Up/Down' button will increase or decrease the value of a hilighted digit. 
                  
               2. If the hilighted control is NOT a digit, then the 'Up/Down' buttons will be disabled.
               3. All navigation must be with the left/right buttons, as the up/down buttons will be reserved exclusively for the adjustment of digits.
                  
      5. Tap the Misc tab to control other functions.
         1. Timer/Stopwatch: Respond to: selects the type of action to which the timer and  stopwatch respond via the drop-down arrow.
            1. Select Button press to activate a timer or stopwatch button when you first press that button.
            2. Select Button release to activate a timer or stopwatch button when you press, hold, then release that button.
         2. Wave file VFS path: is where you assign the path name to .wav files stored on an external memory card that uses the VFS protocol.
         3. Select Remove MIDI copies to skip duplicate MIDI tone names in the Alert Settings>Tones MIDI list.
         4. Select Event log (MemoPad) to write messages to MemoPad to help debug the application if features do not perform correctly.
            1. A message called "BAlarm-Log:" will automatically be created in the "Unfiled" category of MemoPad.
               1. The application will continually monitor the status of your device.
               2. Upon synch or reset, the application will check the current alarm setting and report this to MemoPad.
               3. Upon power-up and power-down, Bob's Alarm will check if there is a discrepancy between the current alarm time and your settings in Bob's Alarm.
               4. • If a discrepancy is found, Bob's Alarm will fix it as per your settings in Bob's Alarm and will report this to MemoPad.
               5. Whenever an alarm sounds, the time of the event will be reported to MemoPad.
               6. • If MemoPad does not have a record of an alarm that you expected, then it did not happen.
               7. You will see duplicate entries of the alarm time being "Set." This is because it reports only the NEXT event. If you have an event set for 06:00 and you are toggling/adjusting an 08:00 alarm, then the NEXT alarm is still 06:00 and that one will be reported.
            2. You can safely delete some of the content from the debug note, or delete the note entirely. The note will be recreated the next time Bob's Alarm has something to report.
         5. Select Timeoutlog (MemoPad) to write messages to MemoPad to record when an event sounded but the user did not take any action.
            1. This feature allows you to confirm if you have missed any alarms or not.
            2. If an event goes unacknowledged, and it therefore allowed to "time-out", the date, time and name of the event will be recorded in MemoPad.
            3. A message called "BATimeout-Log:" will automatically be created in the "Unfiled" category of MemoPad.
            4. You can safely delete some of the content from the debug note, or delete the note entirely. The note will be recreated the next time Bob's Alarm detects a 'timed-out' event
   2. Tap Done to return to the Main screen.
   3. The Preferences screen provides a menu command via the silkscreen menu button.
   4. 1. Reset Prefs will delete all existing preferences and return all preferences to their default values.
   
   
9. Alert Settings
   The Alert Settings screen allows you to control the sounds that Bob's Alarm will make when an event fires.  You can also control how long Bob's Alarm will continue trying to gain your attention, and the means of gaining that attention (sound, vibration, both).  Note that the settings for Alarms and Timers must be made separately, so that you can easily distinguish between an alarm event or a timer event when it happens.  Also note that registered versions allow you to apply all of these settings individually to each event.  So if you have a specific event that must be louder and more tenacious than the rest (such as a morning wake-up), you can do that.
   
   1. The Alert Settings screen provides the following controls:
      1. Event: selects whether the settings apply to Alarm or Timer via the drop-down arrow.
      2. Tap the Tones tab to access controls over sounds.
         1. Select Wave if your Palm device is capable of playing .wav files and you have some installed on an external memory card.
            1. A list of available wave filenames will become available via the drop-down arrow.
            2. Playing Wave files requires the installation of Bob's Sound Library.
            3. Wave files will not play on some older Sony devices.  The standard PalmOS sound functions must be supported on the device in order for wave files to play, as is the case with newer Sony devices.
               
         2. Select MIDI to access any MIDI files installed on your Palm device.
            1. A list of available MIDI filenames is available via the drop-down arrow.
         3. Select Bob's to access the built-in Bob's tones.
            1. A list of available filenames is available via the drop-down arrow.
               • Claxon
               • Warble
               • Zap
               • Phone
               • Chirp
               • Wolf
               • Custom 1
               • Custom 2
               • Custom 3
            2. Playing Wave files requires the installation of Bob's Sound Library.
         4. Use Vol (%): to adjust the tone volume.
            1. Tip: The volume setting is generally adjusted between 0 and 100%. Some devices suffer from odd sound behavior if you select a value less than 5%, and some devices can be set to above 100%.
         5. Use Pause (ms): to adjust the duration of the pause between alerts.
         6. Use Speed (%): to adjust the speed at which the tone plays. For Bob's tones only.
         7. Use Tone (hz): to adjust the tone frequency. For Bob's tones only.
            1. Tip: Changing the tone can have a significant impact on the loudness of the alarm. As an example, on my original Palm V, I found that most tones did not provide enough amplitude so as to serve as an effective alarm clock (it has to be loud enough to wake me up, right? ;) ). Trial and error led me to determine that 2750 hz was optimal at producing a loud sound.
         8. Tap Save to preserve your custom settings to one of three sound registers. For Bob's tones only.
         9. Tap Test to sound the alarm with the current settings.
      3. Tap the Timing tab to access controls over sound timings.
         1. Use Sound time: to adjust the duration of the tone via the drop-down arrow.
            • Once
            • Twice
            • 5 sec
            • 10 sec
            • 15 sec
            • 20 sec
            • 30 sec
         2. Use Auto-repeat: to adjust the length of silence before the tone sounds again via the drop-down arrow.
            • 15 sec
            • 30 sec
            • 1 min
            • 2 min
            • 5 min
         3. Use Snooze: to adjust the length of snooze time before the alert sounds again via the drop-down arrow.
            • 2 min
            • 3 min
            • 5 min
            • 10 min
            • 15 min
            • 20 min
         4. Use Time-out: to adjust when the alert will cease sounding via the drop-down menu.
            1. Various times from 5 seconds up to 1 hour.
         5. Use Extra Timer (or Alarm) settings: to allow custom control of the event.  This can be used to cascaded events, where an initial event is set to start at a predefined time during the day, then another event is caused to start automatically.
         6. 1. Use Trigger: to define which Timer event should be started automatically when the current event fires. 
               
            2. Use Timer repeat: to define how many times a timer should repeat.  The repeat interval is the same as the Timer's set point on the Timer screen.
               
               
      4. Tap the Misc tab to access controls over other features.
         1. Tap Vibrate on alert to activate vibration mode should it be supported by your Palm device.
         2. It is not possible to test vibrate on the Alert Settings screen; it will only vibrate when an event actually fires.
         3. Override system 'no sound' allows you to force Bob's Alarm to produce the alarm sound, even if the system preferences have been set to suppress all sounds.  Normally, Bob's Alarm will respect the system setting, but this option can be used for any event where it is critical that the event sounds be produced, regardless of any other settings. 
            
         4. Override system 'no vibrate' is similar to the 'override sound' option, but it is applied only to the vibration of the device.  At present, it is not possible to override the vibration setting on a Treo600, so this option is not displayed on that device.
            
      5. Tap Done to return to the Main screen.
   2. The Alert Settings screen provides a menu command via the silkscreen menu button.
      1. Reset Tones will delete all existing tone preferences and return all tone preferences to their default values.
         
         
         
         
         
         
10. Time Zones
    Three timezones are available with Bob's Alarm: Home, Local and Synch.  The Timezone screen is used to define the settings of each of these timezones.  You can select the timezone by world zone (relative to GMT) or by country.  Note that Bob's Alarm does not support Daylight Saving Time at present, but this feature is planned for a future version.
    
    The synch timezone deserves special mention.  It is used to synchronize your time display with an external time reference.  It does not change the time setting of your device, but only the time display in Bob's Alarm.  See the "Tip" below for an example of when the Synch timezone might be used to advantage.
    
    1. The Time Zones screen provides control over the time zone where you live and to which you travel.
       1. Use the drop-down arrow to select the time zone register.
          1. Select Home to adjust the time zone for your residence.
          2. Select Local to adjust the time zone to your travel destination.
          3. Select Synch to adjust the time to a non-standard value.
             1. A dialog appears for you to manually enter the synch time in 24-hour format.
                1. Tap OK to accept the value entered and return to the Time Zones screen.
                2. Tap Reset to automatically enter the current time from your Palm device and return to the Time Zones screen.
                3. Tap Cancel to ignore the value and return to the Time Zones screen.
             2. Tip: Synch allows you to synchronize your Palm device with another clock without formally changing the time on your PDA. The idea came to me when I attended several all-day meetings. The facilitator said "Meet back here at 10:20 sharp!," but the clock he was using was considerably different from the current time on my Palm. I had to do the mental math and set an alarm with an offset from 10:20. Now I can synchronize my device to the clock, then just set an alarm for precisely 10:20 "synch" time.
       2. Use the drop-down arrow to select the time zone.
          1. Select World Zones to display a list of standard world time zones.
          2. Select Countries to display a list of world countries.
          3. Select Recent list to display a list of your recent selections so you can easily choose between a few frequently used time zones.
       3. Tap Apply to set and record your selection and return to the Main screen
       4. Tap Cancel to ignore your selection and return to the Main screen.
       5. Tap Clear recent to delete the list of recent time zone selections.
    2. The Time Zones screen provides a menu command via the silkscreen menu button.
       1. Reset Zones will delete all existing time zone preferences and return all time zone preferences to their default values.
11. Manage Events
    1. The Manage Events screen provides control over Alarm, Timer, and Stopwatch events in the current application registers.
       1. Use the left drop-down arrow to select the type of events displayed.
          • All
          • Alarms
          • Timers
          • Stopwatches
       2. Use the right drop-down arrow to select the activity state for the events displayed.
          • All
          • On
          • Off
       3. Tap on an event in the list to select it.
       4. Tap Done to return to the Main screen.
       5. Tap New on a registered version to create a new event.
       6. Tap Delete on a registered version to erase a selected event.
          1. There must be at least two of each event type.
       7. Tap Goto on a registered version to jump to the control screen for the selected event.
    2. The Manage Events screen provides menu commands via the silkscreen menu button.
       1. Select Stop Events to cease the activity of the events in the selected view.
          1. All events are stopped.
          2. Event names are retained.
          3. Alarms return to user-set values.
          4. Timers and stopwatches reset to zero.
       2. Select Reset Events to return the events in the selected view to their default values.
          1. All events are stopped.
          2. Event names are cleared.
          3. Alarms reset to 12:00 AM
          4. Timers and stopwatches reset to zero.
          5. Stopwatch lap times are cleared.
       3. Select Purge Events to delete all events in the selected view and build a new default set of events.
          1. All events are stopped and deleted.
          2. A new, minimum set of events is created.
       4. Select Sort Events to alphabetize the event list.
       5. Select Cut to remove an event from the list and place it on the clipboard.
          1. There must always be at least two of each event type.
       6. Select Copy to duplicate an event on the list and place it on the clipboard.
       7. Select Paste to insert an event stored on the clipboard into the event list.
          1. Unregistered versions allow two of each event type.
          2. Registered versions allow a total of 255 events of all types.
12. Alternate fonts
    
    
    
    1. Bob's Alarm comes with a built-in font set for the display of time digits, shown above on the left.
       1. This font makes the numbers look like LCD digits.
       2. It is provided only in low-resolution to suit 160x160 Palm display screens.
    2. An alternate font set is provided in the zip file download.
       1. This font set is again based on LCD digits.
       2. It provides a high-resolution digit set for use on 320x320, or 320x480 screen sizes, shown above on the right.
    3. The alternate font sets may also include different graphics for other elements within Bob's Alarm.  For instance, the icons at the bottom of the main screen, or the speaker icon at the top right corner.
       
    4. To use an alternate font set, just upload the font set to your device. Bob's Alarm will automatically detect its presence and use the appropriate resolution font for your device.
    5. Additional font sets can be created for Bob's Alarm. It is expected that multiple sets will eventually become available for download in the future.
    6. User-defined font sets are also a possibility.
       1. If you are interested in creating your own font for Bob's Alarm, then you should send a note to the author (see 'Support' below) asking for the 'rules' to guide your creation.  By 'rules' I mean the required dimensions for the bitmaps in all sizes.
          
       2. Once you have all of your digits created, send them to the author to have them combined into a custom font set.
13. Responding to an Alarm
    1. When an alarm or timer event occurs, the screen will switch from whatever application you are currently in to one that looks like the above.
       1. The custom name will display if there is one. Otherwise, "Alarm ##" or "Timer ##" will display.
       2. The next action time will display above the large digits. This is the number of minutes and seconds until the alarm sounds again.
       3. The current time (for alarms) or the elapsed time (for timers) will display in large digits.
       4. If the alert is for an alarm, the time zone in use (Local, Home, or Synch) will appear within parentheses below the large digits.
       5. The user-defined control actions display at the bottom as a reminder of your selections on the Preferences>Actions screen.
    2. To Cancel an event, press whichever control has been configured for "Cancel".  The event will cancel immediately.
    3. To Snooze an event, press whichever control has been configured for "Snooze"
       1. The first press will snooze the event.
       2. A subsequent press will either reset the snooze time, or add another snooze time increment to the current snooze time, depending on your selections on the "Preferences>Actions" screen.
       3. Holding the snooze control will cause a "snooze-exit". 
          
          1. If the event is already snoozing, the event screen will close while the snooze continues.
          2. If the event is NOT already snoozing, the event will snooze first and then exit.
             
    4. Should the application fail to respond to any control actions, cancel the alert and conduct a "safe exit" by pressing your device's power button.  On the Treo600 this is the button next to the antenna, NOT the button next to the 5-way navigator.
       
14. Register
    1. The register screen allows you to make your use of Bob's Alarm official.
       1. The registration screen is accessed from the menu bar on the main screen.  The menus can be displayed by tapping on the menu bar at the top of the screen with your stylus, or by tapping the menu button.  The menu button is usually found in the silkscreen area, bottom of the screen, directly underneath the "Home" button.  On some devices, usually those equipped with a keyboard, the menu button is a physical hard-button.
          
       2. Enter your registration code on the line.
          1. When you purchase Bob's Alarm from PalmGear or Handango, you will receive a confirmation notice that includes the registration code.
             1. This code is keyed to your HotSync name and will allow Bob's Alarm to operate on your device.
             2. This way you can upgrade your device or install a new version of Bob's Alarm without affecting your registration (as long as you keep the same HotSync name).
          2. If you enter the wrong registration code, Bob's Alarm will become unregistered.
             1. A message will pop up telling you what HotSync name Bob's Alarm detected on your device.
             2. The name that you supplied to get your registration code must match this name EXACTLY, including capitalization, punctuation, and leading/trailing spaces, or the registration code will not work.
       3. Tap OK to accept the registration code.
       4. Tap Session to enter into a trial registered mode.
          1. You can try out the additional features that are available in registered mode.
          2. This temporary registration will last until the next time you open Bob's Alarm.
          3. Session trial registration is allowed 50 times.
       5. Tap Cancel to ignore your entry and retain unregistered mode.
15. Support
    1. Support for this application can be found at the RarM Software Yahoo! User Group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RarM_Software.
       1. Feedback from me (Bob).
       2. Discussion forum for all of Bob's software.
       3. An archive of old versions.
       4. Pre-release beta versions.
    2. Support can also be obtained directly from the author at rarm_software@rogers.com.
    3. Registration codes for Bob's Alarm can be purchased at PalmGear.com or Handango.com.