Hebrew Support+
(Includes Luach)

Hebrew Support+ allows all applications to handle Hebrew data. Hebrew text can be entered using Hebrew Graffiti, or via the Hebrew popup keyboard.

You can download an evaluation copy and use it for 30 days, before you will need to register.

 
Hebrew Support+: Features
 
Hebrew Graffiti
 
   

NOTE: If your organizer uses Graffiti-2, Hebrew text can only be entered using the popup keyboard.

The Hebrew Graffiti strokes are shown in the Graffiti Help Screen. These strokes should be entered on the left side of the Graffiti writing area. Accuracy improves when you write large characters. You should draw strokes that nearly fill the Graffiti writing area.

You should take into account the fact that you've been writing English Graffiti for a long time, and you've gotten used to it. It will also take time to get used to writing Hebrew Graffiti. Don't expect it to work perfectly the first time that you try it.

There are two characters (Kuf and Taf) that have two different ways of being written. Use whichever one is convenient for you.

 
 
Hebrew Mode
 
   

In order to begin entering Hebrew letters using Graffiti, you must switch Graffiti to "Hebrew Mode". This is done by writing the Hebrew letter "ayin", in the Graffiti area. When Graffiti switches into Hebrew mode, the Hebrew letter "ayin" will be displayed in the place of the Graffiti Shift Indicator (where you normally see shift, or punctuation).

While you are in Hebrew Graffiti mode, you will be able to write all of the Hebrew Graffiti letters, as well as all other non-English Graffiti characters (numbers, punctuation, extended shift). In order to write English letters, you'll need to exit Hebrew Graffiti mode.

Once you've activated Hebrew Graffiti mode, you will stay in this mode until you specifically exit it. You will stay in Hebrew mode even when changing applications, hotsyncing, or turning the Palm organizer off and on.

 
 
Sofit (Final) Letters
 
   

In order to write a sofit (final) letter in Hebrew, you must first do a "shift" stroke (from the bottom of the Graffiti area to the top of the Graffiti area), followed by the letter you want to write (chof, mem, nun, tzadi, or pay). When you do the shift stroke, the "ayin" indicator will change to a "samech" (for sofit). When you write a character after the shift stroke (whether it is recognized or not), the shift mode will be exited, and the "samech" will revert to the "ayin", and you'll be back in normal Hebrew mode.

 
 
English Mode or
 
   


In order to exit from Hebrew Graffiti mode back to the standard Graffiti mode, you should write the English letter "w" in the Graffiti area. The "ayin" will no longer be displayed. You can also exit Hebrew Graffiti mode by drawing a stroke from the bottom right corner of the Graffiti area (alpha side), to the top left corner of the Graffiti area.

 
 
Spaces and Backspaces
 
     

The Graffiti strokes for "Space" and "Backspace" have been swapped when you are in Hebrew Graffiti mode. The stroke from "right to left" is a "Space", and from "left to right" is a "Backspace". This will be in effect as long as you are in Hebrew Graffiti mode - and is independent of whether you're editing Hebrew or English text.

However, when you write on the numeric side of the Graffiti area (even when you are in Hebrew Graffiti mode), the "Space" and "Backspace" will use their original definitions. If you are writing a number, it will be more natural to write spaces and backspaces in the numeric area.

 
 
Dash
 
     

When in Hebrew Graffiti mode, an additional stroke has been added for the "dash" character. A "dash" can now be made by tapping in the Graffiti area to activate punctuation shift mode, and then making a stroke from right to left (like the new "Space" character). The old "dash" stroke will continue to work as well.

 
 
Text Selection - Hebrew and English texts
 
     

When selecting text across the boundary between Hebrew and English, things can get a little complicated. The bottom line is WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get - if everything works correctly). As you cross the boundary, the text that is selected may not be continuous (i.e., there may be a portion of unselected text between two portions of selected text). Always keep in mind the order that the text was entered - this is the order that it is selected. It takes a little getting used to, but in the end it makes sense.

When editing text that contains only Hebrew, or Hebrew with embedded English, the text will be right justified. This allows Hebrew texts to be entered naturally, and not in "push mode". If the text in a field contains Hebrew and English characters its orientation will be determined by the first letter in the text. If the first letter is Hebrew (all numbers and punctuation will be ignored when determining the orientation of the field), then it will be right justified, and if the first letter is English, it will be left justified. If the field does not contain any letters (e.g., a phone number), it will be left justified. All of the lines of a field will always have the same orientation, and the orientation will be determined as described above. The beginning of the text of the field may not always be shown on the screen, but will still be used to determine the orientation of the text.

 
 
Command Strokes
 
     


When you use the command stroke to access a menu item, the shortcut key is always an English letter. If you're in Hebrew Graffiti mode when you enter a command stroke, the Graffiti mode will automatically change to English for the time that you can enter the command letter. After entering the letter, or when the "Command:" label is erased, the mode will return automatically to Hebrew. This allows transparent use of Command Strokes from within Hebrew Graffiti.

 
 
Shekel Chadash Symbol
 
     


The "Shekel Chadash" symbol has been added to the Hebrew font. This character can be written from Hebrew Graffiti mode by entering the Punctuation shift mode (tap on the Graffiti area to make a dot), and writing the Hebrew letter "shin".

 
 
View Graffiti Help Screen
 
   


There are several ways that you can see the Graffiti Help Screen. In most fields where you can enter text, you can tap Menu / Edit / Graffiti Help, and the Graffiti Help Screen will be displayed (the menu button is in the lower left corner of the Graffiti area).

 
 
   


You can configure your Palm organizer so that a stroke from the bottom of the Graffiti area, to the top of the screen will cause the Graffiti Help Screen to be shown. This can be configured by running the "Prefs" application, and selecting "Buttons" in the top right corner. Then tap the "Pen…" button, and select "Graffiti Help".

 
 
Data Entry via the Hebrew Popup Keyboard
 
   

Hebrew text can be entered on the Palm organizer via a popup keyboard. The Palm organizer's standard popup keyboard has been replaced with a Hebrew keyboard. The keyboard can be activated in any field where text entry is allowed. The keyboard can be activated using any of the Palm organizer's standard mechanisms for activating the popup keyboard: 1) Tapping on the "a b c" in the lower left corner of the Graffiti area, 2) entering "Command K" in text fields which support this, 3) selecting "Keyboard" from the Menu on text fields which support this, or 4) using the "Pen" stroke if it is configured to activate the keyboard (this can be configured via the Palm organizer's System Preferences application - "Buttons" category).

While the Hebrew keyboard is active, standard Graffiti characters may be entered in the Graffiti area. To switch to the English keyboard, tap on the "abc" button. To switch to the numeric keyboard, tap on the "123" button.

 
 
Hebrew Font Support
 
   

The Palm organizer contains four different fonts for text: normal, bold, large, and large bold. Hebrew characters have been implemented for all of these fonts.

In most application screens, you can tap onthe MENU icon (lower left corner - next to the graffiti area), and select Options, and then Font. Select the font desired and tap OK.

 
 
Right to Left Display
 
   

All Hebrew texts will be displayed properly from right to left. Support for fields containing both Hebrew and English text is provided as well.

When Hebrew Support+ is enabled, all Hebrew texts will be displayed properly from right to left. Support for fields containing both Hebrew and English text is provided as well. The text of a field which contains both Hebrew and English characters can be interpreted in one of two ways; as Hebrew text with English embedded, or as English text with Hebrew embedded. How this is interpreted is determined by the Hebrew Support+ software based on the text that has been entered into the field. The Hebrew Support+ software scans the text looking for the first letter (numbers, punctuation and other characters are ignored). If the first letter is a Hebrew letter, the field will be considered to be a Hebrew field, and the characters will be displayed from "right to left". Any English characters in this field will be displayed from "left to right" within the display of the Hebrew text. If the first letter of the field is an English letter, the field will be treated as an English field, and will be displayed from "left to right". Any Hebrew text, which is found in this field, will be displayed from "right to left" within the display of the English text.

There is special handling of parenthesis when Hebrew text is being entered (via the Hebrew Keyboard Dialog). In a field which is displayed from "right to left", any parenthesis which are entered (from within the Hebrew Keyboard dialog) are stored as the opposite parenthesis (i.e., if a left parenthesis is entered, it will be changed to a right parenthesis, and vice versa). In order to compensate for this, in fields that are displayed from "right to left", parenthesis are swapped when they are displayed. This may sound confusing, and not make much sense, since on the Palm device everything is displayed as expected (due to the double swap), however it is necessary in order to maintain compatibility with the way parenthesis are handled and displayed in Windows with Hebrew.

 
 
Sort Order
 
   

Support is provided for proper sorting of Hebrew entries in the Address Book, and any other applications which require sorting. Hebrew entries will appear after all of the English entries (This is consistent with sorting performed by Windows).

 
 
Toggle Direction
 
 

The Toggle Direction feature can be used to view web sites where Hebrew text is displayed backwards. The Hebrew direction can be changed from within any application by activating the "Graffiti Help" screen, and tapping on the "Hebrew Direction" button.

 
   

   
 
PC Synchronization
 
     

Support is provided for displaying Hebrew text that was entered using the Palm Desktop (or any other desktop software that can be synchronized with the Palm). The text will be displayed properly on the Palm after performing a HotSync with the PC (this may work on a Macintosh, but has not been tested). In addition, Hebrew text, which is entered on the Palm, will be transferred properly to the desktop application, and displayed correctly in the desktop application (this requires a Hebrew version of Windows). If you do not see Hebrew properly in all parts of the Palm Desktop - click here.

 
 
KNOWN LIMITATIONS in Hebrew Support+
 
PalmPilot Personal
 
     

Hebrew Support+ can be used on all current models of the Palm Computing Platform running PalmOS 2.0, and higher, except the PalmPilot Personal. In this case, you will need to download Hebrew Support - Version 2.00.


 
Application Launcher
 
     

In the built-in Application (App) Launcher, you can scroll through applications, by writing the first letter of the application. However, the App Launcher doesn't have a Graffiti shift indicator, so there's no way to know whether you're in Hebrew Graffiti mode. If you are in Hebrew mode (and assuming that none of the apps begin with Hebrew letters), you won't be able to scroll by writing the first letter. You'll have to exit Hebrew Graffiti mode in order to do so.


 
Shortcut Names
 
     

Shortcut names cannot contain Hebrew characters. The shortcut itself can have Hebrew characters.


 
Multi-Line Fields
 
     

If you write a character in the beginning of a multi-line field that will cause the field to change it's orientation (right justify to left, or vice versa), only the first line of the field will be updated. Scrolling up and down will cause the whole field to be updated. Alternatively, exiting the screen and coming back to it will also cause the field to be drawn correctly.


 
Toggle Direction
 
     

The Toggle Direction feature should be used carefully. Editing of Hebrew texts will NOT work properly when the direction has been reversed. This function should be used for viewing only.


 
Hacks
 
     

If you are using EVPlugBase as your "hack" manager, this may cause problems with Hebrew Support+. We suggest you use X-Master, TealMaster, or HackMaster. It is likely that there will be conflicts with certain HackMaster Hacks, which are related to editing functions.


 
Known Limitations in Hebrew Support+ Version 3.20
 
     

When using Palm OS 3.5 with Hebrew enabled, the new field editing enhancements (selected text high-lighted in yellow), or double and triple tapping functions do not work.

If you are using Palm OS 3.5 with Hebrew enabled, and you are in Hebrew Graffiti mode, you will not be able to enter command strokes. Instead, select an icon from the (new) command bar, or tap on the title bar to drop down the menu.



back to top


 
   

home : products : moadon : register : links : contact us