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IMPORTANT:

Users of any programs such as FindHack which lock up the Find silkscreen icon must disable that lock before turning ON the Find icon in the FindWiz preferences (after the installation).

Users of Treos should set the Hoff option in the FindWiz preferences to avoid hardware key navigation problems.

Attention existing Trial or Registered users: If you are currently using version 4.1 or above, please download/upgrade to the latest copy of FindWiz to obtain build 0211 of version 4.2 (published Feb 11/2006) if the fix described in the history below is relevant to your needs. History details here.

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New features added in version 4.2 (February 7, 2006):

1) A new CA button to search only the DB's for the current application.

2) The ability to search for a word such as " ken " so that occurences within other words such as in "kennedy" are omitted.

3) The saved criteria description is automatically inserted based on the the criteria entered (it can be changed if you wish).

4) A full-featured 30 day demo is now available.

5) Several fixes (details are listed in the History below).

New features added in version 4.1 (January 2, 2006):

1) The ability to direct a launch from the Hitslist to any alternate 3rd party application, using the DB selection list.

2) The ability to search non-pdb files on SD cards as well as Palm standard .pdb files. File extensions to include in the search list can be specified in the preferences.

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If it's not always easy to find your Palm info, then this great utility solves that problem...

1) Provides instant visibility by allowing you to view the contents of the resulting hits without having to launch the host application.

2) Locate any text in any or all databases.

3) Easily navigate from one highlighted record to the other until you find the exact information you need.

4) Launch host applications from the Hitslist or the record display.

5) Return from the host app to the same place in FindWiz by just tapping the Find silkscreen icon.

Many more useful features...

6) Three search boxes allow you to specify AND/OR and NOT search conditions. Wildcards can be used in the search words.

7) Save search criteria.

8) Supports 320x480 screen (DIA) and landscape mode for the Hitslist and record display screens. If you are a Tungsten T3 owner and have not yet installed the DIA compatibility programs, CLICK HERE to download them.

9) Allows specifying search sequence for databases in the PDA's RAM. The option to search only these sequenced databases can be selected on the search screen.

10) The ability to direct a launch from the Hitslist to any alternate 3rd party application, using the DB selection list.

11)The ability to search non-pdb files on SD cards. File extensions to include in the search list can be specified in the preferences.

12) The splitscreen Hitslist/record display can be modified by the user using a button to change the proportion used by the record display versus the hitslist.

13) Search PalmDoc files (compressed or not).

14) Search expansion cards as well as RAM. A free Hitslist export program (FW_Exp) can be downloaded on this page to let you read your hits information into your personal computer editors and spreadsheets.

15) Search results are kept as long as you need them.

16) 5 programmable buttons to select favourite databases to search with one tap.

17) The preferences screen has 21 options to let you tailor the program to your own taste.

18) Note: Double-byte characters (Chinese and Japanese) are not supported in this version.

19) The search screen allows specifying a specific database or combination of databases to search.

20) FindWiz will NOT display private records unless you supply a password in the preferences.

21) The option to search by application for applications with more than one database (example: HanDBase).

22) The option to position record data from the top rather than at the first search word in the record detail screens.

231) A Display Cleanup screen allows you to specify which junk characters FindWiz should remove at the start of the record displays.

24) The option to left justify HitsList results

25) International character search can be turned on or off (turn off to eliminate excess junk characters when not needed).

26) The search word is highlighted in most built-in host applications when they are launched from FindWiz.

27) The event date is displayed on the Hitslist for Datebook and CalendarDB-PDat hits. This can be turned off in the Preferences.

28) The option to search built-in apps now includes enhanced PIM's.

29) The hardware keys are automatically released when the Treo 600/650 keyguard locks the keyboard.

30) An Exit button allows returning to the desktop or to the previous application (a preference allows returning to the desktop all the time).

31) Date/Time information is shown on the first screen.

32) A random joke/wise saying marquee can be displayed on the first screen (can be turned off in the preferences).

33) The hitslist can be displayed with a splitscreen to show the record detail or with the full screen displaying hits only. A toggle button is provided to switch from one view to the other.

34) There is hardware key support for most of the navigation functions.

35) A recall button allows you to recall the last 5 searches.

36) You can specify a descending search (that is, searching from the end of a database) with or without a limit. For example, you can specify that only the last 1000 records of a 3000 record database should be searched so that only the most recent records are searched.

37) Buttons allow Stopping, Pausing, Resuming or Cancelling searches.

38) Tap the record display to scroll up/down when viewing record information. This can be turned off to allow copy/paste of text.

39) Display running totals during the search (can be turned off in the preferences to speed up the search).

40) The option to initially display either the splitscreen or full screen view of the hitslist.

41) The option to change the font size of the time display and joke marquee.

42) The option to initially display the record information from the start of the record rather than the highlighted search word.

43) The option to turn on/off the red Exit button on 4 screens.

44) A new CA button to search only the DB's for the current application.

45) The ability to search for a word such as " ken " so that occurences within other words such as in "kennedy" are omitted.

46) The saved criteria description is automatically inserted based on the the criteria entered (it can be changed if you wish).

47) The AI button (Accent Insensitive) can be turned on to allow the search to ignore special accents on international characters.

48) An option to suppress the display of a database header in the Hitslist if that database does not contain hits.

49) An option to suppress searching old built-in DB's such as AddressDB.

50) A Tips preference allows you to display tips on different screens to point out the less obvious features.

The User Guide covers every feature and can be downloaded from this page. Please download a demo from here and when you see for yourself what a useful tool it is on your PDA, I hope you will consider aquiring a registered copy of FindWiz. It costs very little and has features unmatched in more expensive search programs.

Thanks for your time.

Richard Dumais, developer of FindWiz

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What other users think...

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“I've never come across an application that is so thorough and efficient that it not only makes accurate and timely searches but, it makes searching fun!"

Apr 23, 2006 Kevin Agot, Henderson, NV, USA posted at palmaddict.com
Click www.palmaddict.com to read a complete review.

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FindWiz 4.2, Intelligent Find 3.2.2, FindHack 4.0.7 compared:

“FindWiz is the best search app of the three. It's the most customizable, it's got the best hit display, and it's got the widest range of search!"

July 6, 2006 Review by araj at Brighthand Forums
Click www.brighthand.com to read a complete review.

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“Sometimes, really, really good things come in really, really inexpensive packages....as far as I'm concerned it's one of the most useful utilities I've ever owned for the Palm PDA....Suddenly, my workhorse Zire 72 has a new lease on life. FindWiz is fast and easy to use. You owe it to yourself to try this utility. I rank it at the top of my list right behind DateBk5, ZLauncher, PalmReader and AvantGo. Highly recommended."

Mark Goldstein, kickstartnews.com
Click www.kickstartnews.com to read a complete review.

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“FindWiz is so good and so useful, I wouldn’t use another find utility on my Tungsten T3. You shouldn’t, either.”

Sven LL Rafferty,
Click www.mypalmlife.com to read a complete review.

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"Findwiz is one of the top 5 most useful applications on my T5. You can find text anywhere. The searches are quick and powerful, the user interface is excellent. You can tap on a hit and will be taken straight to the app in question. The responsiveness of the developer is awesome. When I first purchased FindWiz I wrote the developer asking about external card searches. The developer replied that he will look into it. I had previously purchased other find/search utilities and was always told by developers that external card searches were impossible on Palm OS. A month later I received an email from the developer of FindWiz 'your wish is my command' external card searches. That means I can find any document, no matter how old. I am a translator and this is hugely important to me. I can now find that phrase that I used years ago. Come to think of it top 5 isn't accurate, it is THE MOST useful application that I have. Thank you Richard"

Neil Garforth, July 2005
Bangkok, Thailand

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This app just keeps getting better. This is one incredible search tool!

What I especially appreciate is the split screen view of hits. First line on top, and more content on the lower section. Using this view I am able to Browse the hits using just the hard buttons, until I find the right one with an ease that is unmatched in similar tools.

Even more amazing is the developer. Very responsive and quick to implement good suggestions.

With this app ANY TEXT ANYWHERE in your Palm is found with little effort. That is what having a Palm is all about, and this app will make your device the truly indispensible tool it was designed to be.

Byron Allgood
Maui, Hawaii

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“I find the program to be a real delight to use. Version 2 is a significant improvement and I heartily recommend it without reservations.”

Robert Gall, registered user

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If you think about it...

You store hundreds (sometimes thousands) of random notes, addresses and other information on your Palm device so that you can electronically search for it when you need it. Otherwise, saving that information on a hardcopy would be just as useful. Therefore, the ability to retrieve this information effectively and easily could be the most important single thing you do on your PDA. When you need that information, you suddenly realize how important it is to be able to find it.

FindWiz is the “better mousetrap” for performing that task. It provides a simple or complex search, and then allows you to preview your search results without leaving the program (so that you don’t waste time by going to the host application to see if it’s what you’re looking for). The Next Hit button lets you go from one hit record to the next. When you do find the right information, if you need to change it you simply click on the item in the Hitslist to go to that application. Then to return to the same place in the FindWiz Hitslist, just tap the Find icon in the silkscreen area. This allows you to modify any of the hits without doing another search.

FindWiz also has a complete set of convenience features such as being able to store your search criteria for later use, to recall the 5 most recent searches with just one tap, and many more features as listed below.

So, please download a full-featured demo now by clicking the box on the top right of this page. I’m sure you will not settle for anything else as your search engine once you’ve tried it. (You can click below to purchase of course, if you’ve already tried the program.)

Thanks very much for trying out Findwiz.

Richard Dumais, Developer

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The history of FindWiz:

New Features in Version 4.2 (February 7, 2006):

A new CA button to search only the DB's for the current application.

The ability to search for a word such as " ken " so that occurences within other words such as in "kennedy" are omitted. Thanks to Eli Weitz for requesting the above two features.

The saved criteria description is automatically inserted based on the the criteria entered (it can be changed if you wish).

A full-featured 30 day demo is now available.

The following problems were fixed:

1) The compilation of the extensions list for expansion cards was not working properly if more than one expansion card (including Ramdisks) was installed.
2) Some non-pdb file formats were not being searched properly due to the lack of a privacy bit
3) Shortcut keys did not work with MessageEase
4) A re-install disconnected the Find key so that the icon had to be used the 1st time to launch FindWiz
5) The T3 slider was not detected after a re-install until the program was exit and re-entered


Thanks to Eli Weitz and Ruben Gutknecht for reporting some of the above bugs during their beta testing.

Build (0211)- February 11,2006:

A fix for the following bug when searching non-pdb files on expansion cards: since records were extracted from the file in chunks of 400 bytes and searched individually, the possibility existed for a hit to be missed if it started in one 400 byte record and ended in the next one. Therefore to fix this problem, the logic was changed to search two records at once. If such a "border hit" is found, both records are shown together in the record displays.

The Find key is now employed to start FindWiz only if the user selects the Find option in the preferences after FindWiz is installed. A message is show during installation informing the user about this requirement.

Some cosmetic changes to improve the appearance and readability of the first screen.

Build (0215)- February 15,2006:

A new AI button (Accent Insensitive) on the first screen can be turned on to allow the search to ignore special accents on international characters.

An option to suppress the display of a database header in the Hitslist if that database does not contain hits.

An option to suppress searching old built-in DB's such as AddressDB.

Build (0219)- February 19,2006:

A Tips preference allows you to display tips on different screens to point out the less obvious features.

New Features in Version 4.1 (January 2, 2006):

The ability to direct a launch from the Hitslist to any alternate 3rd party application, using the DB selection list. Thanks to Jack Velenski for pointing out that my program was not doing this.

The ability to search non-pdb files on SD cards. File extensions to include in the search list can be specified in the preferences. Thanks to Mike Burns for requesting this facility.

The option to turn on/off the red Exit button on 4 screens.

New Features in Version 4.0 (December 7, 2005):

DIA support (320x480), including landscape mode, has been added for machines such as the Tungsten that support this. Implemented only for screens that display search results, where improved readability is important.

Search sequence can be specified for databases, and the option to search only sequenced databases.

New hardware key support for the initial search criteria screen allows Treo and other users to search without using a stylus. Improved hardware key support on other screens.

New Features in Version 3.5 (July 1, 2005):

Expansion cards can now be searched. The developer thanks Neil Garforth for requesting this feature.

All launchable databases can be launched (denoted with a red icon). Select databases for applications can be launched at a specific record, including HanDBase and the Enhanced PIMs for machines such as the T5 and Treo 650 (denoted with a green icon).

The option to search by application for apps with more than one DB (example: HanDBase)

Option to position record data from the top rather than at the first search word in the record detail screens.

A new Display Cleanup screen allows you to specify which junk characters FindWiz should remove at the start of the record displays.

Build (0708)- July 8, 2005:

Fixed bug in expansion card omission function.

Allowed for maximum DocsToGo record sizes.

Added the PosL option to left justify HitsList results.

Build (0714)- July 14, 2005:

Fixed a bug with International character search.

Improved some graphics.

Build (0718)- July 18, 2005:

Fixed occasional crash when launching Memos, which was caused by a change in the previous build.

Improved the display speed of large records in the splitscreen view.

Build (0726)- July 26, 2005:

Fixed the inability of the Display Cleanup option to determine that an expansion card database was not displayed in some situations.

Fixed garbled info fields on the Display Cleanup screen when tapped on.

Fixed registration logic to handle accented hotsync id's.

Build (0831)- August 31, 2005:

In addtion to MemoDB, now ToDoDB, TasksDB-PTod, DatebookDB, CalendarDB-PDat and MemosDB-PMem have the first word highlighted in the host app. A hit within the notes in these apps or in the Address book and ContactsDB-PAdd is also highlighted.

The date is displayed on the Hitslist for Datebook and CalendarDB-PDat hits. This can be turned off in the Preferences.

Searching built-in apps now includes enhanced PIM's

The hardware keys are automatically released when the Treo 650 keyguard locks the keyboard.

An Exit button added to return to the desktop or to the previous application.

The developer thanks Jack Velenski for suggesting most of the improvements in this build.

Build (0906)- September 6, 2005:

Launch button added to Record Display screen.

Desk option added to allow Exit button to always exit to the desktop.

Build (0920)- September 20, 2005:

Menu item added in the Hitslist to run the Hitslist Export program. (See the free download on this page. The User guide also describes this program.)

Build (0920b)- September 30, 2005:

Fix: The splitscreen view of the record does not show line feeds in the text if tapped from one record to the other.

New Features in Version 3.0 (April 4, 2005):

A more simple and elegant appearance on all screens with better placement of controls. The developer thanks Mark Goldstein at KickStart News for specific suggestions on improving the user interface.

Database selection buttons can be re-assigned in one step.

Date/Time information is now shown on the first screen.

You can choose a smaller font for Date/Time info and the Joke marquee

The registration code is more secure.

Build (0414)- April 14, 2005:

In this build, a bug was fixed for the Treo 650 and T5. On these machines, the shortcut keys for ", * and ? crashed due to a bug in the OS. A work around was used to fix this.

New Features in Version 2.1 (March 8, 2005):

The Hitslist can now be displayed with a splitscreen to show the record detail or with the full screen displaying hits as in previous versions. The user can toggle between the two views with a simple tap on an icon. The default view for a new search can be specified in the preferences.

The developer thanks Byron Allgood for suggesting the splitscreen.

Build (0314)- March 14, 2005:

With this build, the program has been restricted to Palm OS 5.0 and up, due to some inconsistent API's in OS 4.1.

This build has been updated with new Hardware key support for scrolling Hitslists and fields, and for other screen navigation.

This build also has a new shortcut for accessing saved criteria on the first screen.

New Features in Version 2.0 (December 2004):

The search screen allows specifying a database or combination of databases to search. Five Buttons can be programmed with your most frequently searched databases.

A recall button allows you to recall the last 5 searches.

The Record Display supports the Sony jog dial.

The graphic interface is improved.

• • •

New Features in Version 1.1 (July 2004):

Beyond Contacts applications can now be launched from the hits list.

You can now specify a limit for the descending search. For example, you can specify that only the last 1000 records of a 3000 record database should be searched so that only the most recent records are searched.

Latin International characters are now supported (this can be turned off in the preferences). Japanese and Chinese characters are not yet supported.

Version 1.1 can be installed on top of version 1.0 without losing user settings.

• • •

Original Features in Version 1.0 (May 2004):

FindWiz searches databases selected by you directly, and does not limit itself to database searches done by the application they belong to. This method ensures that ALL of your data gets searched.

You can view all hit results within FindWiz and navigate easily between them to decide which one you need. This saves time because you do not need to launch the original application to view the data.

The Hits List is kept intact when you leave and re-enter FindWiz. You can launch built-in apps from the Hits List and then return to FindWiz by pressing the FIND key.

Three search boxes allow you to specify AND/OR and NOT search conditions. Wildcards can be used in the search words.

FindWiz will NOT display private records unless you supply a password in the preferences.

Preferences allows selecting FIND key, enter security password and other options.

You can save search criteria.

You can Stop, Pause, Resume and Cancel searches.

You can specify a descending search for each database. The developer thanks Sven Rafferty from mypalmlife.com for this suggestion.

FindWiz will read compressed PalmDoc documents.

You can select the option to display wise and humourous sayings on the first screen.

If you purchase FindWiz from this site you will receive your registration code automatically by e-mail so that you can start using your program right away.

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