Four.Zero v3.11
for the Palm Computing(R) Platform

Handmark Inc.
www.handmark.com
  

Four.Zero™
Copyright © 2000 Handmark Inc.
All Rights Reserved

Tip - If you need assistance downloading, unzipping, or installing Four.Zero or any other 3rd-party Palm software? Visit our software installation wizard at www.nearlymobile.com.

Tip - If you like Four.Zero, beam it to other Palm OS users! Using the standard Palm beam functionality, FPZ will beam the unregistered version to the user and it will not beam any of your data.

1. Four.Zero Overview
        Four.Zero Overview
        Features
        Four.Zero Requirements
        How to install Four.Zero
        Limitations
        Known Bugs


2.  Four.Zero Instructions
        Start Up
        Coursework List View
        Add a New Class
        Maintain Instructor Information
        
Maintain Textbook List
        Maintain Coursework Types
        
Maintain Class Grading Policy
        Add Coursework
        View Coursework
        Export Coursework to the Datebook
        Export Coursework to the Todo
        Institution GPA Setup
        Grade Prediction (What if..)
        Report Card
        Options
        
Import FPZ data to Excel

3.  Version Information

4.  Purchasing Four.Zero

5.  Company Information

6.  More Handmark Products

7.  License


 
 

Four.Zero

Four.Zero Overview
Four.Zero (pronounced four-point-zero) is the premiere student software for tracking class details, coursework, and current grades on their Palm handheld device. With Four.Zero, college and high school students have instant access to their class and instructor information as well as current grade and coursework schedule.

Class Information Management
Track class details such as instructor information, textbooks, grading policies, and detailed course information. Now students have access to vital class information such as class time, location, instructor office hours, phone, and email, as well as the class web page right at their fingertips.

Coursework Management
Four.Zero contains extensive coursework management functionality to enable students to track homework and test details including due dates, scores, coursework types, related textbook information, and even a note for the coursework details. Coursework is sorted chronologically and can be viewed by the class, due date, or type of work. Four.Zero also enables users to export coursework to the standard Palm Datebook or Todo list.

Grade Tracking and Prediction
Students will never again be surprised by a final grade as the Four.Zero grade tracking functionality provides visibility to class grades as well as overall GPA. Users perform "what if.." scenarios to predict their final grade for a single class by entering their prediction upcoming coursework.

Features
- Track class details, grades, and coursework information for up to 15 classes
- One-tap access to instructor information including phone numbers, office hours, email, etc..
- One-tap access to class information including time, location, department, section, and web page
- Track coursework details including coursework type, due date, score, and a free-form note
- View coursework due today, this week, due by a specific date, by coursework type, or by class
- View all the coursework entered or just the uncompleted coursework
- Define grading policies for each class Define overall institution GPA policy for GPA calculation
- Supports weighting by coursework type or individual weighting of each coursework item
- Supports "drops" to specify the number of dropped coursework items allowed
- Export coursework to the standard Palm Datebook
- Export coursework to the standard Palm Todo list
- View the current grade in a class or the overall term GPA, with or without hours
- Grade prediction functionality to perform "what if" scenarios to predict grades through the end of the term
- Import Four.Zero data into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to keep a hard-copy of each term
- Supports left-hand options to move scroll bar to the left of the screen

Four.Zero System Requirements
Four.Zero is compatible with any the Palm III series, Palm V series, Palm VII, or any other PalmOS compatible device using the PalmOS 3.0 or newer, such as the Handspring Visor. The compatibility of any new devices can be verified at the Four.Zero product page located at www.handmark.com/products/fourzero. This version of the software is not compatible with the Pilot 1000, Pilot 5000, PalmPilot Personal, PalmPilot Professional or any other devices using the PalmOS 2.0 or earlier.

How to Install Four.Zero
Use the Palm Computing Installation tool to install the FourZero.prc file.  For more information on using your Palm Computing Installation tool, consult your Palm Computing Device instructions or see the Palm software installation wizard at www.nearlymobile.com.

Limitations
Only 15 classes may be tracked simultaneously.
Only 99 coursework items are allowed for each class

Known Bugs
It does take some time to display the "Daily" and "Weekly" coursework views. This is caused by the massive calculations that are required to determine the weeks/days for the coursework due dates.

There are no known bugs in Four.Zero at this time. If you notice any bugs please check our Four.Zero support page at www.handmark.com/support to see if it has already been reported. If it has not been reported, please email us with detailed bug information at support@handmark.com.

 

Usage

Startup
The demo version of Four.Zero will launches with the "annoy" screen informing the user that the version of FPZ is unregistered. Just tap the "Try Demo" button to enter the Four.Zero application. While unregistered, the application will allow full application functionality for 14 days only.
Once you purchase Four.Zero and enter the serial number then the application will no longer display the "bugme" screen.

Coursework List View
The main view of the Four.Zero application is the Coursework List View.  There are two types of views into the coursework list, a view into "All" the classes and a view into a specific class. To switch between the two views, select the class at the top right of the screen or select "All" to see view into all the classes. For more information the functionality of this screen, see the view coursework section.

Add a New Class
To add a new class select "New" from the "Class" menu. You will be asked to add the basic class information such as the class name, department, section, course #, classroom number, class time (and date), the class web page, as well as any freeform notes that you would like enter for the class. To modify this information in the future, ensure that the class is selected at the top right of the screen and then select the "Class Info" item from the "Class" menu or tap the class info icon (resembles a piece of paper) at the bottom of the coursework list view.

Note that you will only be able to add a single class to the unregistered version. If you find Four.Zero useful enough to track more than a single class, you will need to register it. Please see the purchasing and registration section for more information on registering FPZ.

Maintain Instructor Information
To add Instructor information, make sure that the class is selected at the top right and then choose the "Instructor" item from the "Class" menu. Then enter the instructor name, office location, office hours, phone, and email. With FPZ v3.0 and newer, you can now access the instructor information by tapping the apple icon at the bottom of the coursework list screen.

Maintain Textbook List
To maintain the textbook list for a specific class, make sure that the class is selected at the top right and then select "Textbooks" from the "Class" menu. To add a textbook, tap the "add" button and and enter the name of the textbook. To rename a textbook, select the textbook from the list, tap "Rename", and then enter the new name. If you rename a textbook then all associations to that textbook will remain intact. To delete a textbook, select the textbook and tap "Delete". Note that when you delete a textbook it will break the all the associations (coursework, etc..) with that textbook.

Maintain Coursework Types
Coursework types are used to categorize the coursework for each class into tests, homework, reading, quizzes, labs, etc.. These are user-defineable as each class has different coursework types. Defining coursework types will allow the user to view the coursework list based on the coursework type, assign different grading weights for each coursework type, and show the overall grade for a specific coursework type.

To create and modify coursework types, ensure that a class is selected at the top right of the screen and select "Coursework Types" from the "Class" menu. To add a coursework type, tap the "add" button and and enter the name of the coursework type. To rename a coursework type, select the coursework type from the list, tap "Rename", and then enter the new coursework type. If you rename a coursework type then all associations to that textbook will remain intact. To delete a coursework type, select the coursework type and tap "Delete". Note that when you delete a coursework type it will break the all the associations (coursework, etc..) with that textbook.

Maintain Class Grading Policy
To change the Grading Policy for a Class
it is important to understand the difference between the GPA setup and the grading policy. The GPA setup, available from the Tools menu, enables users to define the grade point average and corresponding letter grades for your entire institution. The Grading Policy, accessible by the "Grading Policy" item in the "Class" menu, enables the user to define the percentages necessary to reach a letter grade in a specific class. Users may also enter the weights used for each coursework type to calculate the final grade for a specific class. FPZ allows each class to use a different grading policy but when the user creates a new class it defaults the values to that of the first class created.

To use the weighting functionality, select the "weighting" checkbox on the Grading Policy screen. Then select "By Type" or "Per Item". If the class grading policy is weighted by coursework type (homework, quizzes, tests, etc..) then tap the "Type Setup" button to enter the weight for each work type. Users may also enter the number of items to drop from each coursework type. If all the coursework types are not available for your class then then you will need to go back to the "Coursework Types" menu item in the class menu to add all the necessary coursework types.

To weigh items individually (per item) select the "Per Item" weight. Once this is selected, FPZ will display an entry field for the weight of each item in the Edit Coursework screen. The weights you enter are always relative to the other values so it is not a requirement to enter a percentage.

Extra Credit
A note on extra credit: with no weighting, extra credit is just added to the total. For "By Type" weighting extra credit is added to your total for the coursework type and then it weighs the type normally. For "Per Item" weighting, FPZ will add the score to the total weighting percent. Therefore, if you earned 3% extra credit out of 5% possible then put 5% for your weight to remind you that was how much was possible (it doesn't actually affect the weighting) and then put 3 in the score. You will now have 3% extra credit.

Add Coursework
To add coursework (homework, quizzes, test dates, etc..) ensure that you have the correct class selected at the top right of the screen then select "Add Coursework" from the "Class" menu or tap the "Add" button at the bottom left of the screen. Enter the name of the coursework, the due date, the coursework type, and free-form notes about the coursework, and the textbook for which it relates. This is also where you will enter your score on the coursework. Optionally, use the shortcut "copy" icon to add the coursework type to the name of the coursework. Therefore, if the
coursework name is "Quiz #1" and"Quiz" is set up as a coursework type then just tap the copy button to place the word "Quiz" in the name field.

View Coursework
There are multiple views into the coursework so it may take a few minutes to get comfortable with the different views. Use the "View" dropdown at the bottom left to select the view for the coursework. View coursework by "Due" to view all due items, "Due By" to view items due by a certain date, "Past" to view past due items, and by "Coursework Type" to view all the coursework by coursework type (homework, tests, etc..) The Daily and Weekly views sort all coursework by date and display all the items that are due that week or day for each class. Note that this view will automatically switch your class selector at the top right to "All Classes."

To view completed items completed coursework items as well as uncompleted items select the "View Done" checkbox. Note that if you check an item as done and you do not have "View Done" selected the item will not disappear until the next update to the page.

The grade displayed at the bottom is the current grade for the entire class unless you are viewing a specific coursework type and then it is the grade for that coursework type. Note that the grade is calculated only for scored items. To edit a coursework item just select it. If you have more than 10 items then use the scrollbar or hardware buttons to scroll or page up and down.

Export Coursework to the Datebook
There are two options for exporting your coursework to the datebook, automatically or manually. To manually export the items just press the "Add to Datebk" button when you create a new coursework item. To automatically export each coursework item to the datebook as it is created, select "Options" from the "Tools" menu on the coursework view list and then check the "Automatically add coursework to the Datebook" checkbox. Tap the "Options" button next to the datebook label to access the databook export options. These are the settings that the system uses when automatically exporting the data to the datebook as well as the default settings displayed if the user chooses to manually export the item to the datebook.

For the datebook export options, select the "Alarm" checkbox if you would like an alarm set in the datebook and the repeat selector if you would like to add repeating datebook entries for your coursework. Note that once the entries are exported to the datebook, FPZ has no visibility to those entries. Users must use the datebook application to modify or delete datebook entries created by FPZ.

Export Coursework to the Todo List
There are two options for exporting your coursework to the Palm todo list, automatically or manually. To manually export the items just press the "Add to Todo" button when you create a new coursework item. To automatically export each coursework item to the todo list as it is created, select "Options" from the "Tools" menu on the coursework view list and then check the "Automatically add coursework to the Todo" checkbox. Tap the "Options" button next to the "todo" label to access the todo export options. These are the settings that the system uses when automatically exporting the data to the todo as well as the default settings displayed if the user chooses to manually export the item to the todo liust.

For the todo export options, select the "Use Class Name" checkbox if you would like the todo export to use (or create) the todo category with the class name and place the course item in that category. Otherwise, select the todo category name from the list. You can also set the priority of the exported todo it. Note that once the entries are exported to the todo list, FPZ has no visibility to those entries. Users must use the todo application to modify or delete datebook entries created by FPZ.

Institution GPA Setup
The GPA setup, available from the Tools menu, enables users to define the grade point average and corresponding letter grades for the entire institution. So, if your institution doesn't use + or -, then uncheck them and they will not be be utilized. Users can also define the GPA next to the corresponding grade and choose "E" or "F" for the fail grade.

Grade Prediction (What if...)
For the "What If.." functionality to work properly, you must enter all the coursework (including the "# out of" for each coursework) through the end of the term. This is required so the application can determine the percentage of coursework left compared to that already completed. Obviously, receiving an "A" for the rest of the term after one week is much different than an "A" for the rest of the term with only the final test left.

To use the "What If" functionality, select the "What If" item the tools menu. Select your predicted grade for the rest of the term for each coursework type. If either grade or type is unselected then that grade/workload type is not factored in. FPZ displays a range of grades if there is not a grade selected for every workload type.

Report Card
From the "tools" menu choose the "Report Card" item for a view of the current grade point average (GPA). This screen displays the percent grade, letter grade, and GPA for each class as well as the overall GPA with and without hours calculated in.

Options
To modify the FPZ options, choose the "Options" menu item from the "Tools" menu. The options allow users to set the behavior of the hardware arrows: scroll up and down coursework items, page up and down items, change the view, or change classes. If the option is set for "Change the View" then it will skip the "Due By" selection. To display the class name in the "Daily" and "Weekly" views then select the "Show Class Name in Daily\Weekly". To use FPZ as left-handed with the scrollbar on the left side then select the "Left-handed" item. For more information on the "add to Datebook" and "Add to Todo" items, see the export to datebook and export to todo list sections.

Import FPZ Data to Excel
If you own Microsoft Excel for the PC then you can use the supplied workbook and macro to import your data from your backup Four.Zero databases (FPZ_classes.pdb) to the excel workbook. Most users will find this very useful at the end of the term to keep a hard copy of their class data. Users can then delete the classes from FPZ to start from scratch for the next term.

To use the excel import tool, startup the excel workbook included in the FourZero distribution zip file. Make sure that you "accept" the macro if it asks you the "are you sure you want to use this macro" as you will need it. Then, hotsync to ensure you have the latest data on the PC. Press the "Browse" button and select your FPZ_classes.pdb data file which is generally located in the c:\palm\<username>\backups directory. Press the "refresh" button and a new workbook will be created with all your data summarized on the main worksheet and separate worksheets will be created for each class. Use the tabs at the bottom of the workbook to view the details of each class. You can select file->save as.. to save this as Spring2001.xls or whatever you see fit.

Note that the excel macro is "open" so if you have experience in VBA then go ahead and make changes to the macro if you find a better way to view or summarize the data. If you make changes that you think would be useful to other FPZ users, please send it to us at support@handmark.com.


Version Information

Version 3.11

- Fixed a bug in the registration process

Version 3.1
- Added color support
- Updated registration process
- Added the Handmark information and icons

Version 3.01
- Added support for PalmOS global "find" functionality
- Several bugs fixed

Version 3.0
- Several bugs fixed including those involving drops and the "choose date" functionality
- Added the ability to export coursework to the Palm Todo list
- Added some UI enhancements and UI consistency
- Added the ability to import the entire FPZ classes database to an Excel spreadsheet

Version 2.9
This is the first public release of Four.Zero from Handmark.  

Purchasing Four.Zero
Handmark has released the
demo version of Four.Zero for general distribution.  The demo version enables full Four.Zero functionality for 14 days. Users can purchase a serial number from the Handmark web site and enter the serial number into Four.Zero to "unlock" it. A Four.Zero serial number code can be purchased for $14.95 online from the Four.Zero product page or see the Purchasing/Registering section of the Handmark web site for more purchasing options.


Handmark Company Information
Handmark develops consumer software for the exploding handheld computer market. Handmark was created to meet an untapped opportunity for professionally packaged and supported Palm OS® software in the retail channel. The company is led by an experienced management team that has successfully developed and marketed numerous best-selling consumer PC software titles worldwide. Handmark software is compatible with the popular Palm® and Handspring® handheld computers as well as other licensees of the Palm OS including new devices from Sony®. The desktop component of Palmspring applications is compatible with both Apple® Macintosh® and Microsoft® Windows® personal computers. Please see the Handmark web site for more information.

Check out these great Palm OS titles from Handmark at the Handmark web site.

Mobile Account Manager - Safely and securely store all your passwords, pin numbers, login ID's, checking accounts, credit card numbers with the original security application.

MobileDB - View and edit any small database, table, or spreadsheet data on your Palm. MobileDB also includes a free PC version of the software to create and access MobileDB databases on your PC.

Student Assistant - Give this great Student Assistant CD as a gift to any Palm-using student. This CD contains the full version of Four.Zero

 

Software License Agreement

PLEASE READ THIS LICENSE CAREFULLY BEFORE USING HANDMARK SOFTWARE. BY USING THE HANDMARK SOFTWARE, YOU AGREE TO BECOME BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE, DO NOT USE THE HANDMARK SOFTWARE.

The Handmark software ("Software") provided along with this License, is licensed, not sold, to you by Handmark Software Incorporated ("Handmark") for use only under the terms of this License, and Handmark reserves any rights not expressly granted to you. You own the media on which the Software is recorded, but Handmark and its licensors retain ownership of the Software itself.

1. License. This License allows you to:

(a) Use one copy of the Software on a single computer at a time To "use" the Software means that the Software is either loaded in the temporary memory of a computer or installed on the permanent memory of a computer. You may install the Software on a common storage device which is accessible by multiple computers, provided that if more computers have access to the common storage device than the number of licensed copies of the Software, you must have some software mechanism which locks-out any concurrent users in excess of the number of licensed copies of the Software and additional license is not needed for the one copy of Software installed on the common storage device accessed by multiple computers)
(b) Make one copy of the Software in machine readable form solely for backup purposes. Additionally, only so long as the Software is installed only on the permanent memory of a single desktop computer which is not accessible by multiple computers and that single desktop computer is used by one user for at least 80% of the time the computer is in use, that same user may also make a copy of the Software to use on a portable or home computer which is primarily used by such user As an express condition of this License, you must reproduce on each copy any copyright notice or other proprietary notice that is on the original copy supplied by Handmark
(c) Permanently transfer all your rights under this License to another party by providing to such party all copies of the Software licensed under this License together with a copy of this License and the accompanying written materials, provided that the other party reads and agrees to accept the terms and conditions of this License

2. Restrictions. The Software contains trade secrets in its human perceivable form and, to protect them, you may not REVERSE ENGINEER, DECOMPILE, DISASSEMBLE OR OTHERWISE REDUCE THE SOFTWARE TO ANY HUMAN PERCEIVABLE FORM YOU MAY NOT MODIFY, ADAPT, TRANSLATE, RENT, LEASE, LOAN OR CREATE DERIVATIVE WORKS BASED UPON THE SOFTWARE OR ANY PART THEREOF

3. Termination. This License is effective until terminated This License will terminate immediately without notice from Handmark or judicial resolution if you fail to comply with any provision of this License Upon such termination you must destroy the Software, all accompanying written materials and all copies thereof, and Sections 5, 6 and 7 will survive any termination

4. Limited Warranty. Handmark warrants for a period of ninety (90) days from your date of purchase that the Software as provided by Handmark will substantially conform to Handmark's published specifications for the Software Handmark's entire liability and your sole and exclusive remedy for any breach of the foregoing limited warranty will be, at Handmark's option, replacement of the media (if any), refund of the purchase price (based on fair market value of the Software) or repair or replacement of the Software. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IS THE ONLY WARRANTY PROVIDED BY HANDMARK AND HANDMARK AND ITS LICENSORS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH REGARD TO THE SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS. BECAUSE SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

5. Limitation of Remedies and Damages. IN NO EVENT WILL HANDMARK OR ANY OF THE LICENSORS, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AFFILIATES OF ANY OF THE FOREGOING BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR SPECIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION AND THE LIKE), WHETHER FORESEEABLE OR UNFORESEEABLE, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE OR ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS, REGARDLESS OF THE BASIS OF THE CLAIM AND EVEN IF HANDMARK OR A HANDMARK REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. Handmark's liability to you for direct damages for any cause whatsoever, and regardless of the form of the action, will be limited to the greater of $500 or the money paid for the Software (based on fair market value of the Software) that caused the damages. THIS LIMITATION WILL NOT APPLY IN CASE OF PERSONAL INJURY ONLY WHERE AND TO THE EXTENT THAT APPLICABLE LAW REQUIRES SUCH LIABILITY BECAUSE SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CON-SEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

6. General. This License will be construed under the laws of the State of Missouri, except for that body of law dealing with conflicts of law If any provision of this License shall be held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be contrary to law, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible, and the remaining provisions of this License will remain n full force and effect If you are a U S Government user then the Software is provided with "RESTRICTED RIGHTS" as set forth in subparagraphs (c) (l) and( 2) of the Commercial Computer Software Restricted Rights clause at FAR52227-19 o sub paragraph (c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 52 277-7013, as applicable Manufacturer Handmark, Incorporated 105 East 5th Street, Suite 201, Kansas City, MO 64106.

Four.Zero Serial Number
One Four.Zero serial number may only be used by a single user on one Palm Computing(R) Platform device. A new serial number is required for each Palm Computing Platform device. Evaluation Version

Evaluation and Registration
This is not free software. Subject to the terms below, you arehereby licensed to use this software for evaluation purposes for 14 days only. If you use this software after the 14 day evaluation period a license fee of $14.95 is required. Licenses are available through the Handmark web site at www.handmark.com. When payment is received you will be sent a serial number which can be entered into the Four.Zero application form.

Unregistered use of Four.Zero after the 14-day evaluation period is in violation of U.S. and international copyright laws.

Distribution
You are hereby licensed to make as many copies of the this software and documentation as you wish; give exact copies of the original evaluation version to anyone; and distribute the evaluation version of the software and documentation in its unmodified form via electronic means. There is no charge for any of the above. You are specifically prohibited from charging, or requesting donations, for any such copies, however made; and from distributing the software and/or documentation with other products (commercial or otherwise) without prior written permission.

Send comments and requests about this information to info@handmark.com or visit the Handmarkweb site at: http://www.handmark.com/