Welcome to MultiContacts 2.0

MultiContacts is a workaround solution for EPOC 5 devices doomed to have only one Contact List.

The program allows you to create as many Contact Lists as you need, maintain separate settings per Contact List, define the location for Contact Lists and create Shortcuts for faster access.

You can think of MultiContacts as a program that enables EPOC 5 Contacts application to have Categories.

Compatibility

This program was tested on Psion Revo, Revo+, Series 5mx, Series 7, netBook and Diamond Mako.

Note:

MultiContacts will not run on Psion Series5, since its EPOC release does not have Contacts application (Epoc prior to 5).

Installation

• Make sure you have Sysram1.Opx file installed on your machine.
  (It should be located in C:\SYSTEM\OPX folder).

Note:

If Sysram1.Opx is missing, please install it from the Sysram1.SIS file included in the package.

• You do not need to Uninstall the previous version of MultiContacts. The program is backwards-compatible.
• Install MultiContacts from the MultiContacts.sis file.

Note:

If you are upgrading from version 1.20 or earlier, you will receive an "error" message after the first start of MultiContacts:
"MultiContacts Preferences file is corrupt. Please Maintain the Preferences"
This message appears because of the changes in settings (MULTICONTACTS.INI) file. Please maintain and save your settings again, so the file is recreated.

Quick Start

• Create a Folder where you plan to store your Contact Lists
  (e.g. C:\Documents\Contacts)
• Start MultiContacts by tapping on its icon on the Extras Bar
• If you plan to Evaluate MultiContacts, tap on Evaluate button, otherwise tap on the Register button and enter the Registration Key
• Review the Preferences by selecting Preferences menu, and then choosing Program, Storage and Miscellaneous options. (Please refer to Preferences Topic of this Help) Choose
  - how you want open files highlighted,
  - whether you want to use individual settings per Contact List,
  - whether you want to use SafeCopy option (recommended!),
  - where you want your Contact Lists to be stored,
  - where Contacts application stores its Contacts database,
  - whether or not you want to disable System Contacts Application during certain periods of execution and
  - whether you want to keep the list of recently opened files.
  Save the Preferences.
• Create as many Contact Lists as you feel necessary. Each Contact List is created in pair with a Shortcut to the list, which you can use for quick access.
  You can freely move the Shortcuts around your folders and create copies of them. However, the Contact List shall remain in the same folder, as each Shortcut points at the original location of the respective Contact List.
• Exit MultiContacts and navigate to the folder, where you have created the Contact Lists and start the necessary one by tapping on the respective Shortcut
  - or -
  Use MultiContacts Menu or Toolbar to open Contact Lists by filename.
• If you chose to use Contacts INI ace;files, you can change the view and fields of each Contact List individually while inside the Contacts application! (Please refer to the documentation of your device for help with this task)
• ENJOY the variety of Contact Lists, and do not forget to Register should you decide to keep the program.

Running MultiContacts

There are 4 ways to start MultiContacts:

• Full Mode – via Extras Bar
  Choose MultiContacts icon on the extras bar to start MultiContacts in Full Mode.
  In this mode all build-in functionality is available to you. (Please refer to Navigation section of this Help file)

Tip:

If you place MultiContacts Icon directly above the Contacts Icon of your EPOC device, you will be able to launch MultiContacts by holding CTRL and tapping on the Contacts Icon.

• Open Contact List Mode – via Shortcut
  Choose and tap on the Shortcut and MultiContacts will launch Contacts Application with the Contacts List associated with Shortcut.
• Create new Contact List Mode – via System menu
  Press CTRL+N, select mContacts from the list of applications, type in the name, press OK, and MultiContacts will create a Contact List and a Shortcut in the current folder.
• Automatic Recovery
  If the previous run of MultiContacts was aborted, Automatic Recovery mode will be activated next time you launch MultiContacts.
  Your Contact List and system Contact List will be placed back to their original locations. Once everything is cleaned up, you can re-start MultiContacts.
  MultiContacts keeps track of every step of its execution and knows exactly at which point the interruption occurred.
  Bottom line: your Contact List will never be lost.

Navigation

MultiContacts 2.0 offers 3 ways to access its functions:

• Menu
• Hot Keys
• Toolbar

Each function has at least one way of access.

Open List

Opens Contact List.

1. Navigate to the disk and folder, where the Contacts Lists are stored,
2. Select a Contact List,
3. Chose Open button
4. Contact Application is started with the selected Contact List.

Navigation.

Menu: File - Open List

Hot Key: Ctrl+O

Toolbar: Open

Create List

Creates Contact List and Shortcut to it.

1. Type in the Contact List Description,
2. Type in the Contact List filename,
3. Select the Disk and Folder where Contact List and Shortcut are to be created.
4. Chose Create button.
5. Contact List and Shortcut to it are created.

Navigation.

Menu: File - Create List

Hot Key: Ctrl+C

Open Shortcut

Opens Contact List via Shortcut.

1. Navigate to the disk and folder, where the Shortcut is stored,
2. Select a Shortcut,
3. Chose Open button
4. Contact Application is started with the Contact List associated with Shortcut.

Navigation.

Menu: File - Open Shortcut

Hot Key: Ctrl+P

Create Shortcut

Creates Shortcut to an existing Contact List.

1. Type in the Shortcut filename,
2. Type in the Contact List Description,
3. Select the Disk, Folder and a Contact List for the Shortcut to be created.
4. Chose Create Shortcut button.
5. Shortcut to the selected Contact List is created in the same folder of the Contact List.

Navigation.

Menu: File - Create Shortcut

Hot Key: Ctrl+R

Hide

Hides the MultiContacts application

by putting it in the background.

Note:

Please note that although hidden MultiContacts is still running in the background.

Navigation.

Menu: File - Hide

Hot Key: Esc

Exit

Exits MultiContacts.

Navigation.

Menu: File - Exit

Hot Key: Ctrl+E

Recent

A list of up to 4 recently opened Contact Lists.

If you want to open a Contact List, which was used recently, just select it from the index of recent files and MultiContacts will start Contacts Application with that Contact List.

If you need to reset the Recent List, choose Recent - Clear option

Note:

Recent Menu option is only available if at least one Contact List was opened since the first run or last Clear.

Navigation.

Menu: Recent - <contact list>

Toolbar: Recent

Program Preferences

Sets Program Execution preferences:

Highlight Open File

• You can select to highlight Contact List, Shortcut or nothing.

Use Contacts .INI files

• If this option is checked, MultiContacts will store each Contact List options individually, allowing you to have separate sorting, view and other options per Contact List (Recommended)

Always Use SafeCopy

• If this option is selected, MultiContacts will use a state-of-the-art SafeCopy procedure to ensure the integrity of your Contact Lists. (Recommended)

Navigation.

Menu: Preferences - Program

Hot Key: CTRL+A

Storage Preferences

Sets Storage preferences:

Default Contact Lists Folder/Disk

• Defines the default location for your Contact Lists

Disk for contacts store

• For Series 5mx, 7 and netBook users:
  you can define an alternative location for your system contact list.
  (In the Contacts Application select:
  Tools - Preferences - Disk for contacts store)
  You should specify the same disk for Contacts and MultiContacts applications!

Navigation.

Menu: Preferences - Storage

Hot Key: CTRL+S

Miscellaneous Preferences

Text for topic

Sets Miscellaneous preferences:

Allow Contacts Icon to be disabled

• If this option is checked, MultiContacts will disable the Contacts Application for time Contact Lists are being copied around.
  This feature add some extra safety, however is not required for an accurate user. (Recommended)

Keep List of Recently Opened Files

• If this option is checked, MultiContacts will keep the list of up to 4 recently opened Contact Lists. (Recommended)

Navigation.

Menu: Preferences - Miscellaneous

Hot Key: CTRL+M

Save Preferences

Saves Preferences.

Note:

Preferences are saved automatically if changed when you exit MultiContacts

Navigation.

Menu: Preferences - Save Preferences

Hot Key: CTRL+V

Plug-Ins

Plug-Ins allow end-users to add functionality to MultiContacts.

Plug-Ins are OPL programs that interact with MultiContacts in a specific way and extend MultiContacts functionality.

Up to 10 Plug-Ins can be actively used.

There are two types of Plug-Ins:

• Inline
  Inline plug-in is executed while MultiContacts is waiting for it to finish. Inline plug-in may optionally return a Contact List name back to MultiContacts to be opened.
• Stand Alone
  Stand alone plug-ins are launched from MultiContacts without any further interaction.

Note:

MultiContacts 2.0 is shipped with 3 free plug-ins:
- Launch Smart Find
for those who use Smart Find Program
- a la MultiContacts 1.20
for those who likes the feel and look of MultiContacts 1.20
- Shutdown Phone & Email
for those who use Phone and/or Email application, it is safer to shut those down before opening a Contact List.

Plug-In example source code and SDK is available upon request.

Plug-In Run

Starts selected Plug-In from the Cascaded menu.

Navigation.

Menu: Plug-Ins - Run - <plug-in name>

Toolbar: Plug-In

Plug-In Re-Scan

Re-Scans MultiContacts system folder searching for new or deleted Plug-Ins.

This commands updates the list of Plug-Ins.

Note:

Plug-Ins are re-scanned every time you start MultiContacts in Full Mode.

Navigation.

Menu: Plug-Ins - Re-Scan

Hot Key: CTRL+I

Help

Calls up this Help file.

If you are reading this, I guess you have figured it out by now :)

Navigation.

Menu: Help - Help

Hot Key: CTRL+H

Register

This menu item allows you to enter MultiContacts Registration Key.

MultiContacts Registration Key is 56 characters long and better entered by Copying and Pasting from the registration email using the CopyAnywhere program from the PsiWin application.

Note:

Registration option is only available for the evaluation version of MultiContacts.

Single-User licence of MultiContacts cost $15 or an equivalent in your national currency at the day of purchase.

To register MultiContacts please visit:

http://www.multicontacts.net

You can choose several ways to register:

1. Via PayPal

http://www.paypal.com

Please send your payment to sales@multicontacts.net

2. Via Registration Network

http://www.reg.net:

Reg.Net program id for MultiContacts is 9075.

Alternatively you can logon to

https://secure.reg.net/product.asp?ID=9075

3. Via Check (US Banks only)

Please send an email to sales@multicontacts.net or support@multicontacts.net stating that you would like to pay by check.

I will send the address where to mail the check to.

Note:

I will need to wait till the check clears.

Navigation.

Menu: Help - Register

Hot Key: CTRL+G

About

Shows basic information about MultiContacts application.

MultiContacts 2.0

Multiple Contacts Database Manager for EPOC 5.

(c) Anatoli Arkhipenko 2000, 2001

web: http://www.multicontacts.net

email: support@multicontacts.net

Migrating Contacts from Palm

MultiContacts provides former Palm users with the ability to have Categories on their EPOC device.

Below I suggest a way to migrate your Contact Lists from Palm to EPOC:

• Using MultiContacts, create several blank Contact Lists – one per Palm Category
• Using MultiContacts, open each Contact List and "beam" your contacts from the Palm device using Infrared port
• Repeat for each Category

Synchronizing with Outlook

One of the reasons behind MultiContacts is the ability to synchronize with Outlook using different Contact Lists.

In order to successfully synchronize Contact Lists, it is recommended to follow several rules:

• Always backup your Psion Device before the Synchronization.
• Have the Contact List to be synchronized open by MultiContacts before the process begins. (Synchronization actually takes place between PsiWin or other software and Contacts application.)
• Always synchronize ONE Contact List with ONE instance of Outlook or ONE Outlook profile. (Doing otherwise will confuse Psion Synchronizer and some contacts either will not be copied when expected or copied when not expected).
• Try to create and use separate profile of Psion Synchronizer per Contact List. (Unfortunately, the descriptions of profiles inside Psion Synchronizer are the same, but hopefully the order of creation remains the same).

Tip:

It is recommended to backup your Psion Device, create a couple of Outlook profiles and experiment to establish Synchronization Procedure that satisfies your needs.

Note:

Please note, I can not be held responsible for any errors and/or data losses resulting from the use of Psion Synchronization procedure.

Email, Phone and MultiContacts

If you work with Email and/or Phone applications:

• Email and Phone both work with the same Contact List, which is currently opened by MultiContacts,
• Both applications "LOCK" the Contact List while actively working with it,
• Which means that depending on where in the Phone or Email application you are, you may experience "DEADLOCKS" while working with Email and/or Phone applications.

To prevent deadlocks:

• Always exit contacts-related area of Phone or Email before switching Contact Lists via MultiContacts

To resolve a deadlock:

• Please refer to the Troubleshooting section of this Help file.

Troubleshooting

Below is the list of possible problems and suggested solutions for MultiContacts 2.0

1. Deadlock

Due to the fact, that MultiContacts is a work-around solution, it is possible that you will experience "deadlocks" while working with such applications as Email or Phone.

In case of deadlock, MultiContacts displays the following warning message:

c:\contacts\yourlist.Cdb
or
c:\system\data\Contacts.Cdb
file is in use by another application.
Close offending Application and Retry
Copy.

In this case do the following:

• Switch to System Screen (tap the System icon on the silkscreen)
• Call up the list of applications (Press CTRL+J)
• Switch to and exit the following applications: Contacts, Email, Phone.
• Return to MultiContacts and hit Retry button

2. MultiContacts does not respond

It is very unlikely, but ultimately possible, that MultiContacts Application stops responding or hangs.

In this case you can choose two solutions: Manual Shutdown or Emergency Recovery.

Manual Shutdown:

• Switch to System Screen (tap the System icon on the silkscreen)
• Call up the list of applications (Press CTRL+J)
• Highlight the mContacts application
• Press CTRL+SHIFT+E
• Confirm the Emergency Kill
• Restart MultiContacts and let it restore the Contact Lists (if any)

Emergency Recovery:

• Switch to System Screen (tap the System icon on the silkscreen)
• Navigate to C:\System\Apps\MultiContacts
• Run mcrecover.opo
• Confirm that you are running the Emergency Recovery procedure
• Restart MultiContacts and let it restore the Contact Lists (if any)

3. Other Problems

Send email to support@multicontacts.net

Please include as much information as possible, including:

• Version of MultiContacts
• List of Programs running at the time when the problem occurred
• Detailed description of the sequence of actions that led to the problem
• Listing of the C:\System\Data, C:\System\Apps\MultiContacts and the folder where you store your Contact Lists.

AND DO NOT PANIC – I WILL MAKE SURE YOUR CONTACT LISTS ARE SAFE!

Additional Information

For additional information, please refer to MultiContacts.ReadMe file. It covers such important topics as:

• How to split existing Contact List into several Contact Lists
• How to recover Contact List manually
• What to do if the Contacts Application remains disabled
• Disclaimer
• Version history and changes
• Etc.