Just under the toolbar you will find the Desktop Databases. From left to right they are named Tasks, Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Journal, Memos, Web, Atoms and Safebox. The database names should give you an idea of what kind of information they are designed to hold. The Tasks database, for instance, is designed to help you manage everyday tasks. When you work in the Tasks database you will find task-related properties, such as a <Due Date>, <Priority> and <% Complete>, displayed prominently in columns for easy viewing and editing. When you work in the Mail database, by contrast, you will find mail-related properties, such as <Subject>, <From> and <To> fields, displayed prominently in columns. When you create your own databases, you can decide which properties to display in columns for best viewing and editing.
The Desktop Database files are all stored in a single file folder called Desktop so that the files are easy to access. Click the Databases button on the toolbar now to open Database Manager and you will see the Desktop file folder in the Folder Tree on the left. Click on it and you will see the Desktop Database files appear in the file list to the right. The files have names like Tasks.zot, Calendar.zot, Contacts.zot, etc. You can also view the files using Windows Explorer - just press Ctrl+F8 and Zoot will launch Explorer and display Zoot's database file folder structure for you.
Each of the Desktop Databases is described below. These descriptions are merely conceptual -- in the end it is you who decides how to make best use of the Desktop Databases. Don't worry too much about deciding how to use these databases; this will work itself out over time. Zoot is very flexible, so it's easy to change the way you use a given database anyway. Also, if you decide you don't want to use one or more of the Desktop Databases, you can replace each of them with your own database -- simply right click on the Desktop Database you want to replace and choose Modify from the pop-up menu.
Tasks
The Tasks database is designed to help you manage tasks. When you create a new item in the Tasks database, the new item is called a Task Item and is given a special icon to identify it as such. If you use Microsoft Outlook, this database can be synchronized with Outlook's Tasks folder.
A Task Item represents something you have to do and can be given a Start Date, Due Date and Date Completed. You may be wondering about the conceptual difference between a Task and an Appointment. The difference is that a Task represents something you have to do, while an Appointment represents somewhere you have to be.
Calendar
The Calendar database is designed to help you manage appointments. When you create a new item in the Calendar database, the new item is called an Appointment Item and is given a special icon to identify it as such. If you use Microsoft Outlook, this database can be synchronized with Outlook's Calendar folder. The Calendar database is very similar to the Tasks database in design and function.
Contacts
The Contacts database is designed to help you manage personal and business addresses. When you create a new item in the Contacts database, the new item is called a Contact Item and is given a special icon to identify it as such. If you use Microsoft Outlook, this database can be synchronized with Outlook's Contacts folder.
Mail
The Mail database is designed to store and process e-mail messages. If you use Microsoft Outlook, this database can be synchronized with Outlook's Inbox folder. If you use a different email program, you can use the Mail database to archive email messages. See the Desktop Databases section for more information on this.
We highly recommend you use Microsoft Outlook as your e-mail client as this will make it extremely easy to get your e-mail messages into Zoot (via synchronization). Once your e-mail messages are in Zoot you can reply to them and make use of Zoot's powerful information management tools. Once you've done e-mail in Zoot you won't want to do it any other way.
Journal
Like a diary, the Journal database is designed for logging your daily activities. When you create a new item in the Journal database, the new item is called a Journal Item and is given a special icon to identify it as such. If you use Microsoft Outlook, this database can be synchronized with Outlook's Journal folder.
Memos
The Memos database is designed for recording Memos. Memos are pieces of information you want to remember, but which have no particular due date associated with them. When you create a new item in the Memos database, the new item is called a Memo Item and is given a special icon to identify it as such. If you use Microsoft Outlook, this database can be synchronized with Outlook's Notes folder.
Web
The Web database is designed to help you track your travels on the Web. When you are using your favorite Web browser, Zoot monitors the URL edit box. Each time you visit a Web page, Zoot creates a new item in the Web database which records the name of the Web page and its URL. This is completely automatic. The Web database is like a very sophisticated Web bookmark manager. You'll learn more about this database later on.
Atoms
The Atoms database is a database provided for those instances when you don't quite know where to put something. Atoms are the building blocks of all matter, so when you have collected a number of related Atoms, you can build something more substantial -- like a new database!. Once you have enough related Atoms, just create a new database and move the items from the Atoms database to the new database. Think of the Atoms database as a kind of "clearing house" database.
Safebox
The Safebox database is a place to store credit card information, sales receipts, passwords and the like. You can password protect this database and encrypt it also. From the main menu, choose File | Password to password protect and/or encrypt any database, including the Safebox database.
Sent Items
The Sent Items database is not listed on the toolbar, but it is stored on disk in the same file folder as the other Desktop Databases. The Sent Items database is dedicated to storing e-mail you have sent. You can store your sent e-mail in the Mail database if you prefer, but databases used to collect e-mail tend to grow rapidly, so we recommend using the Sent Items database instead to keep the size of the Mail database in check. If you use Microsoft Outlook, the Sent Items database can be synchronized with Outlook's Sent Items folder.
That's it for the Desktop Databases!
