You can assign an icon to each category and/or item. About two dozen icons come with the application, but you can use your own if you choose. You can choose any graphic file you like, and the program will reduce it to 16x16 pixels. I tried this with a JPEG file and couldn't for the life of me tell what I had started with.

I would suggest creating your own icon with an icon editor or downloading whatever icons you like. Crafting a recognizable image in a 16-pixel square can be quite an art. As you can see in Figure J, there is a user icons tab in the icons window.

FIGURE J


You can select an icon or add your own. Roll over picture for a larger image.

If you click on that tab and then on Add Icon, a file selection box will appear, as shown in Figure K, where you can add other icons.

FIGURE K


Choose from lots of additional icons. Roll over picture for a larger image.

The icons you add here, on your PC, will appear on your PDA the next time you synchronize. You can see the icons on your Pocket PC as shown in Figure L.

FIGURE L


Your icons have made it down to your Pocket PC. Roll over picture for a larger image.

If you're a Palm user, don't feel left out. You, too, will get icons on your screen, as shown in Figure M.

FIGURE M


The icons transfer from your Windows machine to your Palm handheld. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Import and export
In the desktop version, you can import information from another visKeeper file, a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file, a YAPS (Yet Another Password Safe) file, or a MySecrets file.

While I was able to export my current password database to a CSV file, I found the exported database wasn't that useful as an import file. I wanted to set up several different categories, and each of those categories had different fields in them. Therefore, field mapping was difficult. I could, however, make extensive use of cut and paste so that I didn't have to retype everything. There was also a duplicate record function that was useful when entering records where several fields held the same information.

Keyboard tricks
WARNING - The following paragraph is for those who prefer to use the keyboard to move around on the screen and enter data. those who prefer a mouse or enter everything directly into their PDA will be bored to death!

Since I am a touch typist, I like to have as many keyboard shortcuts available as possible. Every time I have to use the mouse during data entry it slows me down. I am used to the most commonly used Microsoft Windows user interface -- Ctrl+F+S gets me file/save, Ctrl+E+F gets me a find dialog, etc.

visKeeper follows most of those shortcuts. I did get a kick out of looking under Edit and seeing the defined shortcuts for Cut, Paste, Undo. I am used to seeing Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+Z and instead I saw Strg+C, Strg+V, Strg+Z. I assume "Strg" means Ctrl in German. It certainly works the same.

It was also hard for me to learn to move between fields when setting up categories. I'm used to using Tab and instead I had to hit Enter twice. All in all, while it took me a while to get the sequencing down right, I was able to work quite nicely without resorting to the mouse, while entering both categories and entries within categories. Anyone who is interested in that much detail, send me an email and I'll send you all the keystrokes needed for each task. I need to get back to the general population since the "mousers" and "stylus users" have probably fallen asleep.