PDA import file support


It's not always possible to have your Mac with you when travelling so there is support for data files created by Palm PDA database applications.

Import data format

The data file format is a {comma} or {tab} delimited text file: the first line always lists the columns. Here is an example (the lines have been split to fit on the page).

The import file can be used with the "Diabetes Logbook X - Export format" import file format option.

Data column Can a different name be used? Data content
PFlag No This column must be called 'PFlag'.
  • Empty = not flagged
  • Not empty = flaged
Date Yes The date format can be day/month/year or month/day/year: this is a selectable option during data export/import.

The supported date formats [from Palm OS System Prefs] are:

  • D/M/Y
  • M/D/Y
  • D.M.Y
  • M.D.Y
  • D-M-Y
  • M-D-Y
The date's year may be either 2 or 4 digits long, for example 07 or 2007.

In v1.4.5 I forgot to call the function that handles two digit year dates, a new version is being worked on that will fix this - email if you want to try it.
Time Yes The supported time formats [from Palm OS System Prefs] are:
  • HH:MM
  • HH:MM am/pm
  • HH.MM
  • HH.MM am/pm
Time formats with {comma} separation are only supported when {tab} delimiting is used:
  • HH,MM
  • HH,MM am/pm
24hr time is 00:00 to 23:59.
Period Yes The time periods are recalculated during import. English options are:
  • Before Breakfast
  • After Breakfast
  • Before Lunch
  • After Lunch
  • Before Dinner
  • After Dinner
  • Before Bedtime
  • Night
Glucose Yes Number.

See notes 2 and 3.
GlucoseUnits Yes Must be either:
  • the text string: mmol/L
  • the text string: mg/dL
See note 4.
InsulinA Yes Number.

See notes 2 and 3.
InsulinAName Yes List field.

The list is user-defined: no {comma} or {tab} characters.

See note 4.
Carbs Yes Number.

See notes 2 and 3.
InsulinB Yes Number.

See notes 2 and 3.
InsulinBName Yes List field.

The list is user-defined: no {comma} or {tab} characters.

See note 4.
Medicine Yes Number.

See notes 2 and 3.
MedicineName Yes List field.

The list is user-defined: no {comma} or {tab} characters.

See note 4.
KetonesTested Yes Must be either:
  • Empty
  • the text string: -ve
  • the text string: +ve
See note 4.
KetonesValue Yes Number.

See notes 2 and 3.
Weight Yes Number.

See notes 2 and 3.
Height Yes Number.

See notes 2 and 3.
HbA1c Yes Number.

See notes 2 and 3.
EventName Yes List field.

The list is a user-defined with the following preset:

  • Clinic
  • Staring item
No {comma} or {tab} characters.
Notes Yes Text field.

The Notes column uses '{lf}' to signify multiple lines in the notes text.

The Notes field can have {commas} and {tabs} in its text.

Notes:
  1. The header row must be present.
  2. For {comma} delimited files: all number fields must be integer or use a floating point format with a period, ".", as the decimal mark. Examples of permitted values: 12.5 ; 0.05 ; 1.0 ; 10 ; 1.
  3. For {tab} delimited files: all number fields must be integer or use a floating point format with a {period} or {comma}, "." or "," , as the decimal mark. Examples of permitted values: 12.5 ; 0.05 ; 1.0 ; 12,5 ; 0,05 ; 1,0 ; 10 ; 1.
  4. The time period, glucose units, insulins and medicines columns must be present in the file but they can be empty and the preset default values from with in the logbook.
First row, with column names:

PFlag,Date,Time,Period,Glucose,GlucoseUnits,InsulinA, InsulinAName,Carbohydrates,InsulinB,InsulinBName,Medicine, MedicineName,KetonesTested,KetonesValue,Weight,Height,HbA1c, EventName,Notes

Subsequent event rows, with day/month/year date format:

YES,27/07/06,10:51 pm,Before Bedtime,12,mmol/L,12.0,NovoRapid, 12.0,12.0,Levemir,12.0,GlucoGel,+ve,12.0,22.3,119.0,7.0,Clinic,
HbA1c = 7.0%{lf}Weight = 22.3kg{lf}Height = 119cm


Palm Databases


There are many different Palm based database applications, most with Windows PC import/export applications. On the Mac there are more limited options, but there is the unsupported MPC from Möötjelitt that aids in extracting data from Palm built-in and 3rd party databases.

Two applications are discussed below, but there are plenty of others such as HandBase and Pilot-DB. An example of how to use Pilot-DB is provided in the Download area.

MobileDB v4.x

MobileDB is a shareware application. There is a time limited demo mode.

A database can be created that has each data field and supports the necessary data formats. To extract the data, first backup your Palm and then use MPC v1 to create a text file of the database..

Tips:

  • Create an empty pop-up list entry by creating a new entry with its name set to a {space}. Save the entry then click Rename, delete the space, and then save the entry.
  • MobileDB number format does not support {comma}-based floating point notation, so a compliant number is guaranteed in {comma} delimited files.
  • In a Mac 'Find/Replace' window use {option}-{tab} to enter a {tab} character in the search field.

JFile v5.x

JFile is a shareware application. In evaluation mode, it is limited to 1 database.

A database can be created that has each data field and supports the necessary data formats. To extract the data, first backup your Palm and then use MPC v1 to create a text file of the database.

An alternative is to export database records to a Palm memo: this is limited to 4KB, the old size limit of Palm Memopad memos. The memo is in {comma}-separated format and using MPC v2(beta) a suitable text file will be created.

Tips:

  • Use filters to select the needed events before exporting to Palm memo.
  • Many of the data formats do not seem to enforce compliance to their designated type - be careful to observe number formatting rules: integer numbers and floating point numbers with {period} decimal marks.