FireViewer HTML FAQ
Items currently in this FAQ:

Q) I follow the instructions in the manual but every time I try to convert a URL, it comes back as 0k and does not load on to my Palm or appear in FireViewer.  How can I make URL conversion work?

A) This can happen for a number of reasons:

  • If you convert a URL using source files located on your local computer, and the pathname has spaces in it, the conversion will fail. Rename your files and folders to eliminate spaces, and it will work fine.
  • When you click "Add", make sure to set the Link Depth high enough to capture all the links you want. Note: in FireConverter, an HTML page with embedded images has a depth of 2, not 1. If your page is missing images, try increasing the link depth.
  • That there is ether a problem contacting the FirePublisher server (see "What's a FirePublisher server? below)
  • That the FirePublisher server is having network or load problems
  • FireConverter's attempts to contact the FirePublisher server may stopped by a firewall or a network problem
  • FireConverter can't connect to the web site or the web site is password protected

If you are using a corporate copy of FirePublisher, contact your system administrator.  Double check the address you have entered in the URL box - try opening the page in a web browser.  Note that if the page requires a username and password to access you will not be able to convert it.  If you have the registered version of FireConverter, you can make it bypass the FirePublisher server.  See the next question.

Q) How do I convert html pages without using a FirePublisher server?

A) On the Convert URL tab of FireConverter,  click the Settings button and uncheck the Use FirePublisher box:

If you have the 30 day trial version, you will not be able to do this, and the checkbox will be disabled:

Q) How do I convert local HTML files?

First, make sure the FireConverter is not using any external FirePublisher server.  See the question above.  Then simply drag and drop an HTML file onto the 'Convert URL' tab of FireConverter and click Add.

Q) What's a FirePublisher server?

A FirePublisher accepts requests from ether FireConverter or a wireless FireViewer PalmOS client.  It retrieves HTML pages and graphics from web servers and converts them into a compressed and Palm optimized format that can be read by FireViewer.

Q) I want to create a .PDB file so I can put it on removable media, email it to somebody etc.  How do I do this?

Once on the 'Convert URL' tab, select the 'Memory Card' side tab:

Then enter the URL as usual, or drag on an HTML file, and click add:

After confirming the available options and clicking OK, the progress bar will appear as usual and you will be returned to the 'Convert URL' list:   

Then simply click 'Save to Card' and select the folder to save the .pdb file to. 

If you want to put the final web archive on a SD card or other removable media, then please see our Removable Media FAQ 

Q) Why do my converted HTML pages have no formatting and images have been replaced with links?

This is standard behavior.  FireViewer only supports very basic HTML tags and does not support inline images.  A major feature of FireViewer is that it can display images larger than the 160x160 pixels of the palm screen.  Thus inline images are turned into links so that they can be viewed as close to the original as possible.