[NTLK] DateTime issue

[NewtonTalk]

>  I may have the source code archived.
>
>  Can you explain what's the issue?  Maybe I can modify it to work with
date fixes.

Well, it turned out that the problem wasn't the software, but the guy at the
pen...

One of the things I tirelessly preach to everyone who listens to me (and to
most people who don't) is "never make assumptions". This is because
assumptions hardly ever work as expected. Most times they cause unnecessary
work and hassle that could have been avoided.

Today I made the assumption that I had, at some time in the past, installed
Eckhart's patch on this 2100. Imagine my surprise when I just checked the
system version. Yes, I should've done this BEFORE posting to the list. Boy,
I was aware I'm getting older, but not that fast. How embarrassing!

DateTime Set works like a charm after having installed Eckhart's patch.
Sorry for the hassle.

The one thing that might improve it (DateTime Set, not the hassle) is a
minor user interface change. It took me quite some time to figure out how to
get at the hidden values like e. g. years that aren't visible in the list.
Once you know how to do it, it is a very fast and elegant way of doing
things. But if you don't, you'll never be able to use this program. Here's
what approximately took place in my weirdly organized synapses when I tried
DateTime Set for the first time:

1) Tapping DateTime Set in the Extras folder.

2) Hey, cool. Everything right next to each other. That's even better than
<shameless plug>I do it in NewtTest</shameless plug>.

3) Well, let's set the year to 2019 first. Er... where's 2019? The last
entry in this list is 2009.

4) Now how do I scroll this thing? There's neither a scroll bar nor scroll
buttons! 

5) Well, surely the developer expected his program to be used even AFTER
2009?

6) There MUST be a way. Especially since right now the "day of month" list
shows less than half of the possible days in a month...

7) Ah! The developer has probably made use of the Newton's internal scroll
buttons. Smart!

8) Tapping on the scroll buttons in the Newton's Extras folder.

9) No, he hasn't. Pity...

10) I could probably search the web now. But I don't want to, since...

11) The supermarket that still owns the groceries I need for the Happy New
Year will close in 45 minutes. 

12) Driving there will take me 15 minutes. Maybe I should simply use
<shameless plug>NewtTest</shameless plug>?

13) But...there MUST be a way! Maybe some Up / Down gesture?

14) Nope... Would've been difficult anyway, because the program would need
to figure out which list the gesture was meant for.

15) Which list... which list... meant for... now wait a minute! Maybe I
must...

16) ...slide from the bottommost entry of the list downwards?

17) Bingo!

18) Grabbing credit card, running to car, speeding to supermarket, ignoring
all speed limits.

19) Hastening through all aisles, forgetting whipping cream required for
tomorrow's dessert.

One or two words of explanation, conveniently situated below the lists,
would have made all 19 steps unnecessary :-)

Cheers, and kudos for monitoring this list so closely and for answering so
promptly!

Frank

-- Newton software and hardware at http://www.pda-soft.de