HOWTO: Import Calendar/Datebook from Palm Desktop (PC) to iCal

[pusman83]

This took me the better part of my weekend to figure out with no clear solution posted online, so here's how anybody can accomplish it:

1. Export as Datebook (.dba) from Palm Desktop on your PC.
2. Set up a Yahoo Calendar and import the .dba file.
3. Export the calendar as a .csv file.
4. Set up a Google Calendar and import the .csv file.
5. Export as iCal file (.ics) from Google Calendar.
6. Import the .ics file in iCal.

Easy peasy!

Palm uses a proprietary database file that's very annoying to turn into a proper .csv file. Yahoo Calendar imports the .dba and exports a .csv file that is missing some formatting. Google Calendar reads the .csv files and can export it as an iCal-ready file.

[ElectronicCat]

This was a big help to me as I was faced with it today. However, I learned that you need to be sure your time format is correct in Yahoo and Google. Google also had a limit on what I could import in one day. So, I have to wait until tomorrow to complete the job.:)

[RobertaS]

Hello. I would like to follow the directions on this post to get my calendar from my Palm desktop and onto my new iPhone via iCal. Being a psychologist, however, my calendar contains privileged information. I assume that posting it on either Yahoo or Google, even briefly, exposes it to others. Is that correct? Is there a way to do it that is protected?
Thank you.
Roberta

[ottomieze]

Hi,

when I try to import the datebook export from my palm into yahoo, after tweaking the time zone and calendar settings, it still only loads my repetitive calendar entries, but none of my normal ones.

any ideas?

[LMRusso]

I registered for MacRumors just to post this thank you note.

You really saved me a lot of time and aggravation (I doubt I'd ever have figured this out on my own). After finally getting the Iphone I'm searching all over the web for an import solution from my old Treo. Thanks for posting such an innovative workaround to another annoying Palm/Apple issue.

You rock & thanks again!

[Olufemi]

awesome solution! Huge help!
Finally! thanks!

[statik13]

Very creative!

MarkSpace offers a product called MissingSync which will do exactly what you are asking for without all the jumping around on the intertubes.

Just install their app, sync your Palm and then sync your iPhone. Works great as it gives you three way sync. (Update the iPhone, Computer or Palm)

Handles calendar, contacts and more.

[jazzwhistle]

Instead of steps 1,2, and 3 you can also use a program called Dba2Csv which doesn't suffer from the time and recurring date problems that show up in the yahoo csv file.

Also you can move each category to a separate color coded calendar, and if you have any trouble the developer is more than helpful.

[kmoser]

Here's a site that automatically converts your Palm Datebook (calendar) to CSV:

http://www.kmoser.com/palm2csv/

It's fast and free, and no plug-ins or downloads are required. Just feed it a DBA (Datebook Archive) file and it returns a CSV file.

[bslade]

My Palm Desktop ver 4.1 (on the PowerPC version of OS X) has an option to export the calendar to vCal format. iCal 3.08 can then import this file directly. It seemed to even handle repeating events properly. I think the "export to vCal" option is missing in the newer 6.x Palm Desktop software.

Also, as an experiment, I exported from iCal to an .ics file, and Google was able to import that file properly (again, correctly handling repeating events).

Ben near DC

[Beach004]

All right, assuming that by one of these methods or another, I create a calendar file, from my Palm, suitable for importing into my iTouch. How, exactly, do I go about doing that last step? I only got the Touch last week, and I'm very much "at sea" trying to move all my Palm material--Contacts, Calendar, Memos--over to it.

I assume I have to create some new account, but I don't know what to enter; for Contacts I created carddav.address.yahoo.com; do I need something analogous for Calendar? I don't want to sync repeatedly, only import the calendar one time, and then I'll switch to the iTouch.

Thanks for any help available; I suspect I'll be back here often...
Beach004

[spikebyt]

Here's a site that automatically converts your Palm Datebook (calendar) to CSV:

http://www.kmoser.com/palm2csv/

It's fast and free, and no plug-ins or downloads are required. Just feed it a DBA (Datebook Archive) file and it returns a CSV file.

After looking at the site I found out that it does NOT work with the 6.2 version of the palm desktop.
I got an iPhone this Christmas and still found NO way to convert my Palm-data to iCal format so I can import it into my iPhone.
Any help is welcome

[spikebyt]

After looking at the site I found out that it does NOT work with the 6.2 version of the palm desktop.
I got an iPhone this Christmas and still found NO way to convert my Palm-data to iCal format so I can import it into my iPhone.
Any help is welcome

I tried to import the dba-file into Yahoo calendar and got the message below:

Sorry, Proxy Error.

The proxy server received an invalid response from an upstream server.
The proxy server could not handle the request POST /calendars.

Reason: Document contains no data

Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Yahoo!, try visiting the Yahoo! home page or look through a list of Yahoo!'s online services. Also, you may find what you're looking for if you try searching below.

[kmoser]

After looking at the site I found out that it does NOT work with the 6.2 version of the palm desktop.
I got an iPhone this Christmas and still found NO way to convert my Palm-data to iCal format so I can import it into my iPhone.
Any help is welcome

Within the next week or so I expect to have Palm2CSV fully reading and converting DBA files from Palm Desktop version 6.2. Contact me if you would like to be alerted when this new feature is available, or if you would like to be a beta tester. Palm2CSV is now available at: http://www.palm2csv.com.

[ZioFranco]

Hello. I would like to follow the directions on this post to get my calendar from my Palm desktop and onto my new iPhone via iCal. Being a psychologist, however, my calendar contains privileged information. I assume that posting it on either Yahoo or Google, even briefly, exposes it to others. Is that correct? Is there a way to do it that is protected?
Thank you.
Roberta

I agree. Posting your personal data on yahoo, google or other on line sites is as private as posting in the newspaper. I would prefer to see a desktop version of Week Calendar you could sync with the iPod.

[kmoser]

Within the next week or so I expect to have Palm2CSV fully reading and converting DBA files from Palm Desktop version 6.2. Contact me if you would like to be alerted when this new feature is available, or if you would like to be a beta tester. Palm2CSV is now available at: http://www.palm2csv.com.

Support for Palm Desktop 6.2 has been available for several months now, along with a variety of other features (time zone conversion, splitting output into multiple files, limiting output file by size or number of rows, etc.) Palm2CSV (http://www.palm2csv.com/) also supports Palm Desktop for Mac!

[loriwhit]

Although I was able to generate a .CSV file using palm2csv.com tool, this CSV was not correctly imported into Google calendar and cannot import into iCal.

Please help! I'm finally embracing an iPhone, but want my data!

I've been using a Palm Pilot for 16 years. I would really like to get my calendar migrated. (Contacts imported into GMAIL beautifully, and then into my iMac Address Book!) But I am still struggling with Calendar and Memo.