Installation and working with WESTERNS on a PSION Serie 3 :
The Psion is a Palmtop Computer, made up by . The Serie 3mx presented here isn't made anymore, but can easily be found as second hand. It is as many other PDAs, perfectly suited to handle a database such as WESTERNS.

Now, you should have found the base in a zip-compressed format, and if you are reading this text, you must have already expanded it !
You just have to put the "base" WESTERNS into the DAT directory of your Psion S3 (a, c or mx), or in its SSD Flash (if necessary, create there a DAT directory).

* Serie 3a owners might be handicapped by the original Data application, which is much too limited. They might find an interest in installing software like Dataview Pro and/or JBData into their APP directory (either in the Psion itself or in one of its SSDFlash), in order to open the base from one of those applications.
Each option will have a specific and complementary efficiency on this base :

- Dataview Pro (discontinued commercial software from Purple Software) offers a good list presentation, secondary groups and a good sorting.

- JBData has the huge advantage of being freeware (a very big and respectful "Thank you" to John Boyce, its prolific and dedicated creator). It allows an interesting "Save as" function on a Text format, plus good "Replace" and "Merge" functions.

* Serie 3c and 3mx owners will not have this problem for they have an improved database application included.

* Serie 3mx owners will enjoy the new processor enhancements for search and sorting functions.

* All S3 owners however, will have to use JBData to ensure a complete exportation in .TXT of each file, in order not to lose any information (because some of my files use more signs than authorized by the original application).
Now, about this translation to a Text format, in order to use my base on a larger computer (Psion S5, Mac or PC) through such softwares as Access, FileMaker or 4D. You can use the freeware utilities kindly provided by Andrew Brook, or use the JBData "save as" function :

1. Open WESTERNS with JBData application and "save as".
2. Give a name.txt
3. Leave "Text", put "Tab" on the next field, insert or not your labels with "Labels : first record", and if you have used "Psion-Enter" to make new paragraphs within fields, put "Leave" on the bottom line. Validate . Here you are with your database in a .TXT format, ready to be used on your Mac or PC.
   You should also refer to the excellent JBData manual.

Here are some

Installation and working with WESTERNS on a PSION Serie 5 :
You must download the database under its .TXT form.

Then refer to the manual (as I don't have a S5, I don't know the right way to do it, but I do know it's all very simple !). S5 owners might use the Power Base program (discontinued, from Purple Software), which should provide more flexible management of the base.

Installation and working with WESTERNS on another type of PDA :

Any PDA which has a contact application, or even more so a database application should handle WESTERNS without any problem, especially if it can import .TXT files.

Any information from users would be welcomed...