Converting Palm Data Base files to PC format (Example using Track).

1. Download and install PDB Reader (click here).
    
2. Hotsync to transfer files from your palm to the PC. Find your palm data files on your PC. I am now using a CLIE and my files are located in C:\Program Files\Sony Handheld\TietjeW\Backup (where TietjeW is the palm user name). When I used a Palm they were in C:\Palm\TietjeW\Backup. Your results may vary, so look around. NOTE: you may find files in the \Archive directory off the user name.
    
3. The following files are used by Track
   • LandDb_pdb.PDB (this has a list of the maps)
   • TrackDb_pdb.PDB (a list of the data files on your palm)
   • TrackPrefs_pdb.PDB (preferences such as alarm tones, etc.) You don't need this.
   • Your maps with names like your map_pdb.PDB. These are also listed in LandDb_pdb.PDB
   • Your position data files. If you accept my naming convention they will have names like 050331_10_25_pdb.PDB (where 050331_10_25 is yr/mo/da_hr_min when the data collection started).
   • Your behavior data files. If you input behaviors along with the positions, the files will be names as above, but with an "a" appended (050331_10_25a_pdb.PDB).
      
4. I copy the above files to another directory that I use for analysis.
    
5. Open PDB Reader.and input a position data file (Menu: File..Open) For all data files other than your maps, the data can be input as a String record. Leave it as shown here: (click to enlarge)
6. You'll get a window that looks something like this: This information is useful to a programmer, but not to you. Ignore it.
7. To get something useful, you'll have to dump the records (). Choose a directory and a file name with a CSV extension (this is an Excel formatted file. These are text files and the values are separated by commas. Don't Save the Report. That just saves the windows content and isn't needed.
    
8. Open the file from Excel. It'll look something like the screen below.

   

   • The only column that is worthwhile is the Record column. The first row of that column shows the number of data points (8)

   • The second entry is the map you used (test.pdb).

   • The next two numbers are the X/Y coordinates (in palm screen units).

   • The X/Y coordinates are followed by the time.

   • This continues until the end of the recording period.
      

9. If you made some behavioral annotations open the 050331_10_25a_pdb.PDB file from PDB reader and dump the records. The Excel sheet will look something like the one below.

   
    

   • Again, only the Record column is useful. The first number is the behavior count (2). The other columns show the behaviors and the time period they were seen. Behavior "A" was seen at time 5 (at 10:27:09 from the position list). Behavior "B" was seen at time 8 (10:27:13)
      

10. Retrieving a map from a PDB file is a little different. Open PDB Reader and select your map file. Unlike all the other files, the map file must be input in an SDWord format rather than as String (no, I havn't a clue why). Set PDB Reader as shown below. Then save it as a CSV file (same as above).

    
     

11. The format for the map file is shown below. Again, only the Record column is important.

    

    • For a map without icons (like trees or rocks), the first entry is 0. The second entry shows the number of points in the line drawing on the map (maybe a stream). The following numbers are the X/Y coordinates for the drawing on the map. If you have several separate lines drawn on the map, the lines will be separated by -1, followed by the number of points and then the X/Y coordinates.

    • If there are icons for your map then the first entry will be greater than 0 and will indicate the number of icons. Each icon is described by three numbers: the icon code, then the X/Y coordinates. The icon code is internal to the program and is not a code that has meaning to a PC. Code 1 is a different icon than code 2. The codes and their icons are shown below.