Butler Documentation
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The Essential Tool for the Treo 600!
Butler - is the assistant who thinks of everything. Alarms, Attention Grabber, Navigation, Launching, LED, Keyguard and Much More.
Thanks for trying Butler - I hope you will enjoy using it!
It's free to try - but please register if you like it.
Upgrades are free for a year from most sites*- so if you register you'll get this copy and future improvements for today's price.
*Free upgrades offer applies to sites that send me your order details. This includes all sites linked from my website.
- Install new version
- If you have registered - you may need to re-enter your registration code.
Please register at the site where you downloaded Butler. There will be reminders as you use Butler until you do!
Once you get your registration code:
- Launch Butler
- Select register from the menu (tap at the top of the screen)
- Type in your registration code
- Tap the 'register' button
If you have problems registering, please see my troubleshooting page
There are instructions throughout the application which explain how each function works to access them, tap on the (i) symbols in the top right of each screen.
Brief instructions are repeated here:
This feature allows you to do something more useful (and less annoying) than the standard volume button functions.
In 'switcher' mode, pressing the down button will switch you back through the previous applications you launched. Pressing the up button will move you forwards through that list. Of course - you won't be able to switch forward unless you have just switched back!
Selecting 'Ignore Launchers' will make butler skip applications that it recognises as launchers
In 'Scroll' mode, volume buttons will scroll up and down. These exactly mimic the rocker up/down keys - but might be more comfortable in some situations (e.g. reading documents)
Pressing Shift plus Vol Up switches between alternative modes - 'Switcher' and 'Scroll' mode.
If you want to access the standard volume controls to change the ringer volume, you can do so by pressing option+volume up/down.
Also, Volume buttons will work normally when the phone application is open.
You can set the default LED state - this is great if the flashing light drives you nuts at night and was in fact the original reason why I wrote Butler!Should the LED get stuck - reset LED should reset it.
On some networks (know networks noted below), you can also set the colour that the led should take when there is voicemail waiting. The LED will turn this colour until you have actually listened to the voicemail.
These networks have been reported to work for voicemail notification:
Orange UK
Sprint CDMA
Sprint PCS
AT&T US
Cingular GSM
Verizon US
Rogers GSM Canada
Please let me know of other working networksThe Key launcher gives you easy access to the favourites you have defined in the Phone Application - but from any application, at any time.
Holding down any key will launch the favourite you have allocated to it in the phone application.
e.g. launching an application, contact, SMS, etcYou can map favourites to keys by opening the favourites section of the phone application. Simply assign an application (or whatever) to a button and assign a 'Quick Key'
If the key is not mapped to a favourite, and you press and hold, then the keylauncher will simply open the phone app.
KeyLaunch works with KeyCaps600 - but you will have to do the following:
1) Set the number of repeats to ignore to 1 or more. The larger the number - the longer the delay before the KeyLaunch.
2) Select 'disable in phone app' in KeyCaps600
3) Enable keylaunch AFTER enabling KeyCaps600.
Note: non-KeyCaps600 users should set number of repeats to 0.The Attention Grabber makes sure you know about calls, sms, voicemail, appointments and other alerts by reminding you as often as you ask it to. (A bit like a pager does)
You can set the attention grabber to play a tone, vibrate, play an MP3 or set the LED (or any combination).
You can choose what sets off the attention grabber.
- Attention manager: This is the application that displays most alarms and alerts (and that flashes the asterix in the top left of the screen). On some neworks, sms messages and missed calls are notified this way. Similarly, some email applications notify of arrived emails this way.
- Incoming call: This sets off the attention grabber when a call arrives - but it is cleared when you answer a call (by pressing the centre button). That makes this alert useful for telling you that you have missed a call.
- NB: this does not function as an mp3 ringer to alert you of calls - though Phone Technician (also from HobbyistSoftware) does that job admirably!
- Incoming SMS: Nags you until you nitice an arrived SMS. Note that if your network notifies you of sms through the attention manager, then it will also set off the attention grabber.
- Butler's Alarms: Although Butlers alarms do use the attention manager - they will not set off the Attention grabber unless you select this option. This allows you to use the Butler snooze options without being nagged about waking up!
If you select 'Leave Screen Off' then the screen will not turn on to grab attention - However mp3s and ring-tones _Will Not Play_ - even if they have been selected normally. This is useful for people who want to avoid battery drain from turning the screen on.
Please Note:
1) The attention grabber does not replace the existing alert. It does not go off immediately. It is intended to nag you after you miss the original alert. The first attention grabber alert will go after the delay you have set between repeats. e.g. Attention grabber set to nag every 10 seconds, and set to trigger on 'Attention Manager' events. Calendar alarm goes off (with normal alert), 10 sec later, the attention grabber will start nagging.2) To stop the attention grabber, you must press the centre button or tap on a button on the screen. The alert will be fully cleared when the next alert would have gone off. This means that if your treo is off, it will wake up once to turn off the LED - then turn itself off again.
3) In order to be able to sound repeatedly through the keyguard, the tone alerts will simply turn the keyguard off. To avoid this - I reccomend that you use the alternative keyguard.
This option is primarilly intended for treo600 users. It tries to spot if the Treo displays an sms message through the attention manager and closes the screen displaying the message. (On the treo650 and recent Treo600 ROM versions, you can turn on privacy to stop SMS being displayed)
Although the sms popup screen is closed, it is still in the attention manager, and will alert you every 5 minuites. To get at the alert, just tap on the asterix in the top left of your screen.
-'S' re-enables screen if disabled: If you have chosen to lock the touchscreen during calls (by using phone preferences), then pressing s allows you to get access again. The touchscreen will still say that it is disabled - but it won't be.
The alternative keyguard goes on whenever the normal keyguard tries to (if you disable the normal keyguard, the alternative keyguard will also stop working). It doesn't show such an obvious alert window (it shows a key in the bottom right) - but it doesn't stop other functions (like some alarms) from working either. This option is recommended. If you do not select it - then Treo Butler will turn off the normal keyguard when sounding alarms (if the normal keyguard is on).
Phone Keyguard: Stops keys from answering calls. Useful if you have a tight phone case.
Menu/Shift Hold ->Command: Gives you two ways to get to the command bar.
Phone Hold -> Beam Business Card: Press and hold the phone key to beam your business card. I don't know why the treo developers disn't implement this standard Palm OS shortcut...
Butler offers 6 alarms that can repeat on days you select and can play alerts from Mp3s to the old alarm tones as often or as loud as you want!
Butler offers 6 alarms that can repeat on days you select and can play alerts from Mp3s to the old alarm tones as often or as loud as you want!
Settings are mostly self explanatory.
Remember to Enable an alarm if you want it to work.
If you select 'Repeat on', you can specify days for an alarm to repeat. If you don't select 'Repeat on' (or don't select any days), the alarm will sound once only. If you want the alarm to sound at the same time again later - just come back to the alarm page and press 'set and close' again.
If you select snooze in the attention manager, you will be given a 5 minute reprieve.
The alarm is designed to work with the keyguard, to interrupt other attention manager messages (such as voicemail and SMS) and to survive a soft reset.
Note: In order to be able to sound repeatedly through the keyguard, the alarm will simply turn the keyguard off. To avoid this - it is recommended that you use the alternative keyguard.
Please check the troubleshooting information available on my website.
Still stuck?
- You might find help or answers at the Hobbyist Software forum
- Contact me through this page and desribe your problem.
- Make sure you are already running the latest version of Butler (get it at www.HobbyistSoftware.com)
- Give me as much detail as you can - specifically step by step instructions to reproduce your problem
Contact
Please do send comments / suggestions using the link above.If you have problems, please first read the troubleshooting section and the instructions in the app. If you're still stuck, please contact me as above.
Butler works on my Treo 600 & I'll do my best to improve and fix issues - I can't guarantee that it will work perfectly though!
Enjoy,
Rob